Phantasy Star Online: Sidestory
by Blastos X4
Summary: Delve into the lives of hunters of Pioneer 2. Essentially, beyond the Guild...but still with monster smashing fun. Updating again.
1. Memories

Disclaimer: Sega owns PSO.  
  
(If you already know the background of PSO, skip the prologue.)  
  
Prologue  
  
The Pioneer Project was a desperate plan for desperate times. The destruction of their home worlds was near. Before the evacuation could begin, probes were sent deep into space to find a suitable planet. When a candidate arose, the first interstellar transport ship, Pioneer 1, was sent to establish a colony. After confirming Planet Ragol as a suitable planet, the colonists of Pioneer 1 readied the planet for the main wave of refugees. Construction of the Central Dome had begun.  
  
Seven years later, Pioneer 2 had finally arrived with thousands of refugees aboard. Just as it entered Ragol's orbit and opened a communications link with the Central Dome, a massive explosion rocked the planet. All contact with the people of Pioneer 1 had been lost.  
  
This tale is only part of a never-ending story. One of many heroes will appear. Most will remain unnoticed. They are the hunters. They are highly skilled (usually) mercenaries hired to carry out various jobs and missions. They have become so popular, that they have formed a hunters' guild that notifies them of any available jobs. Hunters' guilds also allow clients to make requests in a more efficient fashion. The lives of the hunters vary from person to race to class.  
  
On the Pioneer 2, there are three races. They are Humans, Newmans, and Androids. Humans are the primary race and make up roughly half of Pioneer 2's population of 30,000 citizens. Newmans can best be described as genetically altered Humans with Feline genes fused into their DNA structure. Being that they are still Homo sapiens, they are genetically compatible with Humans. Their resemblance is the same as Humans with the exception of elf-like ears and slightly elongated canines. Designed to be improvements on Humans, Newmans reach physical and mental maturity in one year. However, Newmans often die early from old age because of this. Modern technology has allowed them to be properly educated within this short period. Newmans are also known for their strong spiritual energy. This characteristic often directs them into the Force class or scientific community. Androids were originally created to serve mankind in difficult and dangerous tasks. In modern times, they have reached intelligences high enough to gain citizenship as independents. However, they are forbidden to have artificial skin and must be clearly mechanical for identification purposes. As mechanical beings, Androids have no spiritual energy and cannot use techniques. But, they are able to ignore most status effects and can detect trap mines that would normally be invisible.  
  
The hunters are divided into several classes. First there are the Hunters. They specialize in close-range melee combat and are skilled with blades. The Hunter class is physically the strongest of all classes. It is suitable for all races. The Ranger class is the midway point in terms of physical statistics. Rangers specialize in long-range energy weapons. This class is meant for Androids and Humans. Newmans generally do not have the accuracy necessary to acquire this occupation. Forces have strong and advanced Techniques. Though physically weak, they have great spiritual power within them. They tend to gravitate toward the scientific community because of their poor battle skills. Since Androids are unable to use Techniques, only Newmans and Humans can enter this field.  
  
Chapter 1: Memories  
  
It had been over 12 hours since the explosion. Officials had urged the populace to remain calm. Because Pioneer 2 has nowhere near the military power of Pioneer 1, hunters have been contacted from all parts of Pioneer 2. Principal Tyrell, the person in charge of Pioneer 2, has asked several to investigate the explosion. Somewhere in the city was an area exclusive to hunters. It was here that they could get supplies, go to a Hunter's Guild station, visit the hospital, or go down to Ragol. Many hunters suspected that the Principal was worried about his daughter, Rico. Everyone knew this hunter/scientist as "Red Ring Rico". Other hunters were not as concerned and believed that there was no need for panic. Two of these hunters, specifically Androids, were among them. The taller, bigger one whose head seemed to be covered by a helmet was a male Ranger, or RAcast, with black and orange metal plating. His registered hunter name was T-65. The smaller, bizarrely cuter Android was a female Ranger, called a RAcaseal, with a bow on the back of her head and a paint job similar to the RAcast. She was known as Galactica, (GA to T-65).  
  
"I wonder what caused that huge explosion," said T-65. "I knew that Pioneer 1 had lots of firepower, but I didn't think it could..."  
  
"It couldn't have caused that big of an explosion, regardless of whether it was an accident or otherwise," interrupted Galactica. "I suspect that something on the planet caused it."  
  
"That's what we're supposed do find out, GA," said a new voice. It was a somewhat short, human lady in a white and purple, highly decorated dress. Her long black hair was in a knot with a long pin going through it, letting the rest of her hair fall behind her shoulders. She was a FOmarl.  
  
"How come you're not coming with us?" asked T-65.  
  
"I've already been down there," she replied. "I would go along, but many of the plants in the forest give me bad allergies. Besides, you two should be able to handle it together. The animals are vicious, but not very strong. It should be a great place to get some experience. Just work together and fulfill your quest...By the way...exactly what is your quest?"  
  
"The client wants us to collect dirt samples from the residential area," answered Galactica. "He wants to check for residue that might have been left behind by the explosion."  
  
"Too easy," sighed T-65. "How am I supposed to earn any respect as a hunter by picking up dirt? I want a real challenge!"  
  
"It was the only job available, muscle-head," said an annoyed Galactica.  
  
"Well, maybe you didn't look hard enough, Miss I'm-too-special-to-do- anything!" shot back T-65.  
  
"At least Mom decided to build me with two optical sensors!" shouted Galactica as she pointed to her pale-blue eyes that were devoid of pupils. The FOmarl stood by the two, listening amusedly as they continued to bicker. They had always done this sort of fighting ever since their "mother" completed T-65, the younger android. She should know. She was whom they called Mom.  
  
Several years ago, before the Pioneer 2 had been completed, scientists all over the world had been recruited or volunteered in the 2nd phase of the Pioneer Project. Some of the more popular scientists such as Dr. Osto and "Red Ring" Rico had already left on Pioneer 1. There were still plenty of dedicated scientists left at home, though. Although the biggest name joining The Lab on Pioneer 2 was Dr. Montague, a specialist in biotechnology, there were other scientists who had their own talents.  
  
In a workshop on one of the space stations near the construction of Pioneer 2, there was a lone FOmarl, barely an adult, toiling away on her computer. She seemed to be entering calculations for blueprints on androids. Her fingers seemed to glide over the keyboard seamlessly. As she typed silently, another figure entered the room. Startled by the sound of the door opening, the FOmarl almost jumped out of her seat as she turned around. She sighed with relief as she recognized the would-be intruder. It was a young lady not many years older than herself. She wore a regal- looking, gold and lavender dress. Her tall headdress partially hid her long blue hair that ended with a barely noticeable weaved ponytail. This was the outfit of a FOmarl. Her height nearly dwarfed the relatively short black- haired FOmarl seated before her.  
  
"How is your progress on GAL-104 coming along, Mina?" asked the taller woman.  
  
"I'm almost done with her blueprints," replied the shorter FOmarl, known as Mina. "I think that orange and black would make a good color pattern for her," she said as she returned to her typing. "Oh, and you can call her Galactica now. All I need now are the RAcaseal parts. Did you get the order forms I asked for?"  
  
"Yes..." the Force replied uncomfortably.  
  
"What's the matter, Alicia?" Mina asked noticing the uneasiness in her voice. "You did get the right disk, didn't you?" she said turning away from the screen.  
  
"Of course I did," Alicia replied, revealing the desired item. "It's just that...some of the parts you asked for seem a little...unorthodox. I'm no expert on the inner-workings of androids, but some I've never even heard of."  
  
"That's because I'm going to build them different from most androids," Mina said returning to her work with a sly smile.  
  
"What do you mean by different?" Alicia asked suspiciously. She knew that her little cousin was notorious for designing things with some sort of twist.  
  
"I'm going to give them real emotion," Mina said still smiling.  
  
"That's not so different," Alicia said, confused. She began to think to herself as she handed over the disk. "That can't be it," she thought to herself. "Maybe she's losing her touch. No. If that were the case she wouldn't be smiling like that. What are you up to?" she thought staring at her. "Well, I'll just leave you to your work," she said as she exited the room.  
  
3 months later...  
  
In the same workshop was a similar scene. However, instead of Mina typing away on a computer, she was welding the chest plate of a certain black and orange RAcast in a charging station, with her face being protected from the sparks by a face shield. After this task was complete she removed the shield and walked over to the computer. She took a cable from the desk and plugged it into the back of the RAcast's head. She then tapped a single button on the keyboard.  
  
"This shouldn't take long," she thought. A few minutes later, the screen confirmed that the data upload had been completed. She disconnected the cable and turned on the charging station. She stood back as blue waves of energy encircled the RAcast. Mina then contacted Alicia via intercom.  
  
"Alicia? Are you there?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," responded Alicia. "Are you done already?" she asked surprised.  
  
"Yep," Mina replied happily. "Bring Galactica here so she can meet her new brother."  
  
"We'll be there in a minute," Alicia said. Mina then looked over to the RAcast. Despite her calm demeanor, she was very excited. She was so excited that she almost forgot the activation code. She stood in front of the charging station trying to recall it.  
  
"Now what was it again?" she asked herself. "Oh yeah! Activation code INCOM T-65!" she commanded the station. Suddenly, the blue waves changed into a single green wave that subsided quickly. The android began to move, seemingly testing its limbs for complete mobility.  
  
"Hello, there," Mina said as she looked upon the large android.  
  
"Uh...hi," it said nervously as it looked down at her." You look familiar. Are you the MOTHER unit?" it asked.  
  
"Yes," she said still trying to hold back her jubilance. "But you can call me Mom, Mother, Mommy, or whatever," she added quickly.  
  
"Uh...ok...Mom," he said a little confused. Mina could no longer hold herself back as she heard him say the magic word. She nearly tackled him as she gave him the tightest hug she could manage.  
  
"I'm so happy to hear you say that!" she said excitedly. After hearing no response for several seconds she realized that she was hurting him. She immediately let him go.  
  
"Sorry about that," she said grinning. "It's just that I got so excited. Are you okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine," he said a little shaken. "But how did you get so strong? No offense, but shouldn't you of had some trouble holding onto my metal structure so tightly?"  
  
"I'll explain later," she said slightly embarrassed. "Right now, we need to give you a name that suits you. Do you have any suggestions?"  
  
"Well, I kinda like the ring of part of my serial number," he said. "How about T-65?"  
  
"That sounds pretty good," she said thoughtfully. Just then, the doors opened and Alicia walked through. Behind her was a smaller android with a metal skirt.  
  
"We're here," Alicia declared. The one behind her peeked around her shoulder to see whom she was supposed to meet.  
  
"Don't be so shy, dear," Mina said lovingly. "I want you to meet your new brother, T-65. T-65, this is your sister, Galactica."  
  
"Hello," Galactica said shyly as she slowly came from behind Alicia.  
  
"Hi," T-65 answered back.  
  
"What is your serial number?" she asked curiously.  
  
"It's INCOM T-65," he said flatly. "How 'bout you?"  
  
"My serial number is GAL-104," she responded just as flatly.  
  
"That's kinda funny," he said with a chuckle. "You're a female android and your serial number reflects that with GAL."  
  
"I don't see what's so funny about it," Galactica said with slight annoyance.  
  
"That ain't all that's funny," he said with a growing smile. "Your name starts with the same three letters."  
  
"Humph! What's really funny is that your name is part of your serial number," Galactica said with increasing agitation.  
  
"That's because my name just sounds cool," he said with a smirk. "I think GA would be a pretty good nickname for you."  
  
"Well..." was all that she could say as she actually thought about what he had just said.  
  
"Come to think of it, GA does sound like a nice nickname," she thought to herself. "And it's shorter too." During this entire conversation, both Mina and Alicia had been listening.  
  
"I don't think this will be the only time that they're going to argue," Alicia whispered to Mina.  
  
"Neither do I," she whispered back. "But then again, what else could you expect from siblings?  
  
They had always been able to fight amongst themselves, even in dire situations as things presently were. Mina would break it up if it went on for too long. This was one of those times. Even after reminiscing to her self for several minutes, the two were still going at it.  
  
"Just because you're a little older doesn't mean anything!" T-65 yelled as he arched over his sister, trying to show his superior size.  
  
"It means you should listen!" Galactica shouted pointing a finger in his face.  
  
"All right! That's enough out of you two!" Mina said, pushing them apart. "It's time for you to get going. Clients don't like having to wait around all day long. Now remember to watch out for each other. And don't forget to feed your Mags."  
  
"But..." they tried to say.  
  
"Go!" she screamed.  
  
"Yes, ma'am!" they said quickly as they teleported to Ragol. Mina decided to go shopping while they were gone. She was oblivious to all of the people staring at her. 


	2. Mother Earth of Dishonesty

Chapter 2: Mother Earth of Dishonesty  
  
Despite the recent explosion, the Forest seemed untouched. None of the plants had scorch marks and were as green as ever. Everything was as if the explosion never occurred. All of the gates leading to different parts of the forest were also undamaged. As the two Rangers would soon find out, things were not as peaceful as they seemed. As they appeared at a teleporter, they checked their supplies.  
  
"So, what kinda heat are you packin'?" asked the RAcast.  
  
"Oh, not much," Galactica said modestly. "I decided to keep it simple and just take a basic handgun."  
  
"Well, mine has a bit of an extra kick for the Native animals around here," T-65 said taking his chance to brag. He didn't get a chance to outshine her often because she was a full 3 experience levels above his 7. As hunters become more experienced they gain access to a wider range of supplies. In this case, Galactica could have used a better gun because of her superior accuracy. Despite the fact that RAcaseals are naturally more accurate, her higher level was due to her age. She had joined the Hunters' Guild before T-65, training in VR missions. This also meant that her Mag had already evolved into Kalki, a twin unit that protected both her left and right side. A Mag can best be defined as a sort of satellite-like pet that a person gets when they become a hunter. It adds its power to the hunter. When its master deals or takes damage, it collects energy. After its first evolution, the Mag can charge a Photon Blast—powerful summon spells whose effects vary.  
  
"In that case," said Galactica, "I'll let you do most of the fighting, while I collect the samples."  
  
"Then let's get started," T-65 said enthusiastically. Galactica then started collecting a sample and stored it in small container. They then went through a gate that led to another section. As soon as they entered the new area, several creatures burrowed from underground ahead of them. Their faces were similar to those of bears with the exception that their noses were more like horns. They had large, sharp claws and were brown in color. They stood on their hind legs at a height taller than Galactica yet shorter than T-65. Once they were fully out the ground, they let out a simultaneous roar and slowly lurched toward the surprised androids.  
  
"This must be the welcoming party," T-65 said with a grin as he aimed and fired his gun. Galactica also commenced firing her handgun. The creatures only grunted from the sting of photon bullets. They seemed intent on reaching the two. Soon, they cried in pain, as they were felled, one-by- one. They melted into the ground from the heat of photon energy.  
  
"That wasn't so hard," said T-65 as the last one was killed. He spoke too soon. Immediately a trio of scaly, green wolves jumped out of the bushes. Of course, the androids opened fire on them as well. The wolves, although more agile than the previous animals, did not last as long. As they died with an agonized roar, a loud mechanical boom sounded.  
  
"That must be the next gate unlocking," Galactica said as she collected another dirt sample.  
  
"Hey, GA!" T-65 yelled a short distance away. "I found some supply boxes. I think they were left behind by the first Pioneer ship." He then blasted them open with one shot each.  
  
"You're right," Galactica said walking over. "Do you see anything good?"  
  
"Let's see," he replied. "A Saber, a Frame, a Cane...Nope, nothing really worth pickin' up."  
  
"Oh well," Galactica said, a little disappointed. "Let's move on." As they proceeded through the gate, more of the same animals appeared. As they finished them off easily enough, several new creatures seemed to fall from above. They were short, yellow birds with small wings and a pair of antennae sticking out of their heads. Like the other animals, they too seemed drawn to the androids.  
  
"I remember these from the data files," said Galactica smiling. "These are Rag Rappies. So cute."  
  
"Uh, yeah...sure," replied T-65 as he aimed at one them.  
  
"Don't!" Galactica shouted. "They're harmless. They're one of the friendliest animals around." She then walked up to one and tried to pet it.  
  
"I don't think that's such a good idea," T-65 warned. Before Galactica could touch the Rag Rappy, it pecked at her hand.  
  
"Ow!" she said, recoiling. The bird then pecked at her leg. "Ouch! Cut it out!" She then backed away from it and shot it. By this time, the Rappies had gotten somewhat close to them. But T-65 had already begun shooting. The birds were quickly defeated. Then, another gate unlocked.  
  
"Harmless, huh?" T-65 mocked her as he looked through the supply boxes. "Mom did say that the animals were ferocious, remember?" Galactica chose not to reply.  
  
The next area was larger and had a small stream running through it. It also had a pack of wolves waiting. One of them, a more bluish wolf, started circling the androids, leading the other wolves. The blue wolf was also the first to die from the gunshots. All of the other wolves immediately stopped in place and howled, mourning their fallen leader. Red and blue sparkles started to surround them as they resumed their circling.  
  
"What did they just do?" T-65 asked, confused as he resumed shooting. However, after one shot each wolf expired.  
  
"I believe they have cast some sort of spell," Galactica said edging over to the stream while shooting. She was trying to get a better view around a bend. She spotted a red teleporter. This would lead them to an entirely new area of the Forest, presumably near Central Dome. But before she could tell her brother, another wave of enemies appeared. Most seemed similar to the first creature they encountered, except that they were bigger and were yellowish. The pair soon found out that they were also stronger. The others were far more bizarre. Being lowered from the sky by large flying insects was what appeared to be a large bulbous plant with three thick stalks. After it finally landed, all of the insects flew inside of a hole on top of it. Then a number of them flew back out. All the while, T-65 and Galactica had been concentrating on the yellow animals. They couldn't help but notice the odd thing.  
  
"What is that?!" Galactica asked somewhat panicked.  
  
"Heck if I know!" replied T-65. They continued to shoot the approaching yellow animals. Unbeknownst to them, the mosquito-like bugs flying around were sneaking just out of their vision. The insects then proceeded to use their large barbed stingers.  
  
"Ow," said T-65 as he felt slight pain in his shoulder. "What was that?" Before it could sting him again, he blew it to pieces.  
  
"They're coming from that...thing!" Galactica said as she switched targets to the flying annoyances. "You concentrate on the yellow animals. I'll take care of the pests." Soon all of the yellow creatures were gone. But as the insects were destroyed, the now confirmed nest kept spewing more out. While Galactica remained focused on the bugs, the RAcast started shooting the nest. Soon, it stopped emitting the pests and Galactica also began shooting it. It's stalks, which were its only means of support, gave out and it fell over. Since it was still moving, they continued to shoot until it burst into flames and disintegrated.  
  
"Well, that was a pain," T-65 said as he consumed a healing item called a Monomate. Galactica decided to collect some sediment from the stream.  
  
"Not hard enough, huh?" she mocked him. "This teleporter should take us near Central Dome. One more sample should be enough." They then entered the teleporter and proceeded to the second part of the Forest. 


	3. Mother Earth of Improbity

Chapter 3: Mother Earth of Improbity  
  
They materialized in a very different part of the Forest. The clouds were so thick that they made it almost as dark as night. It was also raining. They arrived in front of a small cliff that had a path that led downward and to the left. There were two gates leading in different directions. Just over the cliff were some boxes and a group of sitting Rag Rappies. They didn't notice the two androids. They silently took aim and fired at the oblivious fowls. The startled Rappies ran off into the bushes. Some of the boxes were caught in the crossfire and revealed small, yellow containers. These were the types of containers used to store the Meseta, the currency used presently.  
  
"Free money!" exclaimed T-65 as he stumbled over down the small cliff, falling on his rear. Galactica opted to walk down the path instead. The money they found was not a large sum for normal hunters. However, for them it was money they could use. The other boxes contained nothing of real value to them.  
  
"Well, let's get the last pile of dirt and get the reward," said T- 65.  
  
"No," Galactica said. "I've already gotten this kind before."  
  
"How can you tell?" asked T-65. "It all looks the same to me."  
  
"I've already gotten this dark-brown soil," she replied. "The other two were sand and mud from that stream. We need something different." T-65 only sighed to this. They chose to enter the gate on top of the cliff. After walking down a narrow path they found another pack of wolves along with a group of the brown and yellow creatures. As always, the animals instantly started to approach the two. Galactica realized that it would not be wise to merely stand and shoot as they had done before.  
  
"T-65, let's get out of this cramped space," she said quickly and calmly. "We're going to have to move around a bit." T-65 nodded in agreement and ran to the right of the path. Galactica moved to the left. She had to watch her step as she crossed a large pipe in the ground that led to a small pond with a small island full of brown chests in the middle. Once they had enough distance between themselves and the threats, they started shooting. The wolves were now doing a better job of dodging shots and getting closer. Neither android let them get too close. If it was not killed they, stopped firing and jogged a short distance away and resumed shooting. Soon enough, all of the animals had been eliminated. Then three new creatures sprung up from the ground around them. They were like the brown and yellow creatures. However, they had a crest on their heads and had bigger horns, bigger claws, and bigger bodies. They were also reddish.  
  
"I think it's time to use traps," said Galactica, slightly nervous. The creatures had managed to surround them and were uncomfortably close.  
  
"No argument here," said an equally nervous T-65. They both released a Fire Trap into the air just above them. They then shot each creature just enough to keep them from approaching too fast. These creatures did not seem as hurt by the gunfire. As they drew nearer they prepared to slash at the two Rangers. Just before their swipes could make contact, the two traps had detected their proximity and exploded. All but one of the creatures died in flames. It had stumbled back a few inches back and was stunned. The two androids then quickly downed it with combined firepower.  
  
"That was a little too close for comfort," sighed T-65.  
  
"Indeed," was Galactica's reply. "We should take a moment to feed the MAGs. They should be hungry by now." She fed a Monomate to it. T-65 did the same. They then opened the boxes in the area and found some health items.  
  
"How much do you think all of these Monomates and Monofluids will sell for?" asked T-65 as he picked up the items.  
  
"Not much," was his sister's reply. "It would probably be better to keep them as Mag food."  
  
"What's up with those brown chests?" T-65 asked as he pointed to the island in the pond. "They look kinda fancy, don't ya think?"  
  
"I don't know," she said. "But it looks like the bridge is out. There should be a switch somewhere around here to open it."  
  
"Don't worry about it," he said anxious to end this mission. They exited through one of two newly opened gates. Just to the left was another unlocked gate. To the right was a very long path. As soon as they stepped forward to open the gate, it revealed a large group of yellow and brown creatures.  
  
"Let's not take that one," Galactica said stepping back and allowing the gate to close. "I can see the dirt from here. And it appears to be a dead end.  
  
"Look up, GA!" said T-65 pointing over the gate. "Is that Central Dome?" Upon closer inspection, she saw that he was right.  
  
"It is!" she said. "It doesn't look damaged at all. In fact, we've yet to see any signs of that explosion at all."  
  
"What's goin' on around here?" he asked a little creeped out. "Nobody's here, all of the animals want to kill us, and there ain't no marks left by that explosion."  
  
"Settle down," she said trying to calm him.  
  
"Come on, GA!" he yelled. "Not even a damn singe on anything!"  
  
"We'll ask Mother when we get back to the ship," said Galactica as she started walking down the path.  
  
"Yeah, sure," T-65 said as he followed closely behind. As they walked down the path, four of the large red creatures appeared behind them. They made their presence known with a roar.  
  
"Crap," said T-65 as he and Galactica began jogging down the path, bypassing a locked gate. As they neared a red (locked) laser fence, a pack of wolves jumped in their way.  
  
"Crap!" he repeated as he and his sister began shooting at the said obstacles. Although the wolves were taken care of quickly, it was enough time for the more menacing creatures to catch up. Just as the two androids turned around to shoot them, they met a pair of claws to the face.  
  
"Aaaah!" they screamed as they fell painfully to the ground. They immediately got back up to retreat and counter-attack.  
  
"Definitely don't wanna get hit like that again," T-65 mumbled as they jogged a bit further down the path. As they ran, T-65 released a Fire Trap while Galactica decided to use an Ice Trap. Then they turned around and aimed at the traps.  
  
"On the count of three," Galactica said. "One..."  
  
"Two..." T-65 said as the beasts entered the blast range.  
  
"Three!" Galactica shouted as they simultaneously squeezed their own triggers. The Fire Trap's explosion scorched the animals as the Ice Trap froze them solid immediately afterward. This was the androids' chance to unload on their unmoving bodies with stronger, but less accurate blasts before the ice thawed. Before long the ice shattered as the beasts succumbed to the photon bullets and melted into the ground leaving a bloody spot in the ground. That was not all that was in store for the androids, however. Just as they used a Monomate each, several new threats appeared. The most obvious was the ape-like behemoth that landed with a crash in front of them. It had short bluish fur, hulking arms, and two long oddly shaped ears coming out of the sides of its head.  
  
"What?!" gasped a stunned Galactica as she stared into its narrow yellow eyes. Before T-65 could get off a single shot, it took a mighty swing knocking him down to the ground with a grunt. Snapping back to her senses, Galactica began to circle the creature, shooting as she ran. It then turned its attention to her. This allowed T-65 to slowly get to his feet and take another Monomate. As the somewhat slow creature tried to swing at her, she was able to stay just out of its reach. Unbeknownst to her this was only one of three of the same species in the area. The others had appeared far up the path and were making their way over. Another nest full of insects had just landed behind her brother. But he was more worried about the blue wolves and yellow creatures that appeared before him. He decided to run in Galactica's direction, just behind the large animal. Then he heard a crash behind him as the two equally large creatures that had been so far behind jumped right behind him. He turned his head to see a crushed wolf under the feet of one steadily approaching ape. He did not stop running to his sister.  
  
"I could use some assistance, brother," she yelled out to him. The creature was still missing her, but not by much.  
  
"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" he yelled back as he began to shoot it from behind. As he shot, he noticed two other gates on this side of the Forest. One led to the left, presumably toward Central Dome, while the other led to the right. Unfortunately, both were locked. Soon, the creature could no longer stand the combined firepower and crashed to the ground dead. There was no time to relax, though. The other two immediately leaped onto the scene.  
  
"Run!" Galactica yelled as she and T-65 ran in opposite directions. They were able to escape the immediate swings of large fists. Suddenly the gate opposite of Central Dome unlocked. Out of it ran two very different androids. One of them, the male, had blue armor with yellow areas on his arms and legs. He had what appeared to be a horn coming out the top of his faceless head. He also carried a Hunter-specific weapon, a Sword. He was a HUcast. The female android appeared to be wearing a light and dark purple bodysuit with matching high-heels and orange areas on her legs and shoulders. Her most outstanding feature was the big metal ponytail that hung behind her. She also carried Hunter-specific weapons called Daggers. She was a HUcaseal.  
  
"Who's there?" the HUcast yelled out. They then saw that the Rangers needed help.  
  
"We're on our way!" the HUcaseal yelled out to them. They ran toward the nearest animal, which was chasing T-65. The RAcast ran over to them.  
  
"GA, over here!" he called out to Galactica. She, in turn, strafed her pursuer and ran in his direction, staying clear of the other creature. The HUcaseal was the first to attack. She slashed away at the animal, seemingly dancing as her two photon blades sliced into its thick hide. Next up was the HUcast. He swung his rather large Sword at the beast, finishing it off. All of them then met the next creature with their weapons ready. While the Rangers began shooting, the Hunters began slicing. The animal fell quickly.  
  
"It's always the Hildebears that they have trouble with," said the HUcaseal.  
  
"Well, that and the hoards of Boomas," the HUcast added pointing to the approaching yellow creatures. They all made short work of the overpowered animals.  
  
"Ow!" said the HUcast as the nearly forgotten insects stung him. "And let's not forget about the most annoying things around here, the Mothmants."  
  
"I hear ya," T-65 said agreeing with his comment. "We'll take care of em'. "You guys can take out the nest." And so the bugs were destroyed along with their nest. Then they waited for any more animals that would come. When nothing else came they were able to relax a bit.  
  
"Thank you for helping us," Galactica said bowing slightly.  
  
"Yeah," said T-65. "I wish we had ran into you two earlier."  
  
"Well, we didn't get here that long ago," said the HUcast. "We just took another path."  
  
"I'm glad we found you," said his partner. "That last fight got me to level 17."  
  
"Did you come here on a quest like we did?" Galactica asked.  
  
"Well, yes," said the HUcast. "We're looking for our client's friend who supposedly came here after the explosion. Have you seen anybody named Castor?"  
  
"Nope," replied T-65. "You're the first people we've seen here. Where is everybody?"  
  
"I don't have a clue," said the HUcaseal honestly.  
  
"And what were all of those creatures that attacked us?" questioned T- 65.  
  
"The ones that come out of the ground are Boomas," said the HUcast. "The yellow ones are Goboomas and the big red ones are Gigoboomas. The bugs were Mothmants. The nest they came from is called a Monest. The big blue guys that cause the most trouble around here are Hildebears."  
  
"And the wolves?" questioned Galactica.  
  
"The greener ones are called Savage Wolves," he answered knowledgably. Their blue leaders are Barbarous Wolves. Interesting names, huh?"  
  
"I don't mean to be rude," interrupted the HUcaseal, "but we really need to find the guy we're looking for."  
  
"We also have a mission to accomplish," Galactica said pulling onto T- 65. "Again, we thank you." And so the two Hunters went through the gate leading toward Central Dome. Meanwhile, Galactica and T-65 walked back up the path they had run across, looking for any new soil that they had missed. They passed by the laser fence since the other side did not have any new dirt. Just then T-65 noticed something up ahead.  
  
"Hey..." he said slowly. "I think we missed a turn, while we were running from those Gigoboomas."  
  
"What do you mean?" Galactica asked inquisitively.  
  
"There's an unlocked gate in that outcropping to the right," he replied. "It's kinda hard to see behind all that moss." Sure enough, there was indeed an unlocked gate in a rock wall. The two Rangers proceeded cautiously toward it, ready for any sign of danger. When they neared it, the gate opened to reveal a small shelter of sorts with two brown chests inside. The rock walls were covered with moss while all sorts of foliage covered the floor.  
  
"The coast is clear," T-65 said relaxing. Then, without saying a word, he blasted open the two chests.  
  
"You know," said a somewhat startled Galactica, "you could have just opened them yourself."  
  
"Yeah," he admitted, "but this is more fun. Hey, there's some pretty good stuff in here. I found a Telepipe and a Moon Atomizer." Galactica was more interested in the room itself. She began to shuffle through the foliage on the ground. Then she found what she was looking for.  
  
"Our mission is complete," she said as she collected the black soil from the ground. "We'll use the Telepipe to get back to the ship."  
  
"What about the atomizer?" asked T-65.  
  
"You don't even know what it does," she replied as she put the dirt sample away.  
  
"I'll keep it anyway," he said as he unleashed the Telepipe. Telepipes are tools used as portable teleporters. After it was set, there was a stream of bright-reddish light streaming in front of them. The androids then walked into the light. When they activated it, there was an even brighter flash as they were sent back to Pioneer 2. 


	4. New Friends

Chapter 4: New Friends  
  
When Galactica and T-65 appeared on Pioneer 2, they headed for the Hunters' Guild to collect the reward. There were several people waiting there. Some were clients, including theirs. Others were hunters. Some were looking for jobs, while others were just lounging about. Galactica walked up to a short man wearing white pants and a blue shirt. "Here are the samples you requested," she said handing them over him.  
  
"Thanks," he replied. "With these, I may be able to find out what caused that explosion. You can collect your Meseta at the guild counter." T- 65 stood in a corner waiting for Galactica to return with the money. When she came up to him, he was eager to learn what they earned.  
  
"So, how much did we get?" he asked anxiously.  
  
"He paid 700 Meseta. Here's your half," she said as she gave him his share. "Now let's go report to Mother." They then walked over to the shopping area, knowing that she would be there. They walked in as she was making a purchase.  
  
"I'll take that Soul Assault," she said to the salesman.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked nervously. "I don't get many Forces around here that buy Mechguns."  
  
"Oh, yes," Mina replied. "Now how much does it cost?"  
  
"That'll be 11,000 Meseta," he replied. She gave him the money and he gave her the weapons. Then she noticed the two androids waiting for her in the corner. "Hi, kids," she said cheerfully. "So, how was it?"  
  
"We were okay for the most part," said T-65.  
  
"The area near Central Dome was a bit more challenging," said Galactica. "But, we had help."  
  
"Oh really..." Mina said, somewhat intrigued. "Who was it?"  
  
"We didn't catch their names," T-65 said, "but they were a HUcast and a HUcaseal. Their levels were somewhere in the teens."  
  
"We were lucky that they helped us," admitted Galactica. "Otherwise, the battle would have been more difficult."  
  
"I'll bet it was the Hildebears that gave you the most trouble, wasn't it?" she asked, surprising them.  
  
"That's the same thing the HUcaseal said," T-65 said, putting his hand over his face.  
  
"Well," Mina said as she began to exit the shopping area, "they are the strongest things I've seen in the Forest. It's strange that they, of all things, are so violent. The report said that they were very friendly."  
  
"By the way," T-65 asked as he and his sister followed her out, "what does a Moon Atomizer do? I found it in the Forest."  
  
"Hopefully you won't need it," Mina said turning toward them. "It revives a fallen teammate. In your case, save one, and use the rest as MAG food." Then a thought came to her. "I think that now is a good time to show you more items that you might run across. I'll let you see the ones in my inventory. She then led them over to the Check Room, which stored the tools and money of hunters. "Now, this is a Monofluid. It restores Technique ability. It won't be very useful to you..."  
  
As she was explaining the various items to them, the door leading to the Ragol teleporter opened. Out of it came the aforementioned HUcaseal and HUcast, whom was carrying a spiky-haired Newman. He wore jester-like clothes along with platform shoes and a headband. Only FOnewms had fashion sense that was this bad.  
  
"I'll take him to the hospital," said the HUcast. "You go get Chronos and the client.  
  
"Right," she said as she ran toward the guild. When she ran in, she quickly spotted who she was looking for. Chronos was a tall man in blue and white robes who wore the headdress of a Force. He was a FOmar. The client was a Newman brunette wearing a blue blouse and purple skirt.  
  
"Did you find him?" asked Chronos who just noticed her.  
  
"Yes," she replied, "but he's pretty messed up. Miguel took him to the hospital. That's where you need to be."  
  
"On my way!" Chronos said as he ran off to the hospital.  
  
"That goes for you too, Ms. Ikana," she said, looking at the client.  
  
"Oh no!" shrieked the client. She then ran to the same destination saying on her way out, "You can collect your reward at the counter, Anne." Meanwhile, Mina was just now explaining to the Rangers that a Star Atomizer heals everyone near the user.  
  
Galactica then noticed a commotion going on near the hospital. "Mother, I don't mean to interrupt, but there seems to be something happening at the hospital," she said. Mina then noticed that there was an unusually large number of people there.  
  
"Let see what all the ruckus is about," Mina said leading over to the hospital. Galactica and T-65 then saw a familiar HUcast. He was on the outer edge of the small crowd. He seemed focused on what was going on in the center of the crowd, which, thanks to his height, he could easily see.  
  
"Hey," T-65 said getting his attention, "what's goin on?"  
  
"We found who we were looking for," he replied flatly. "He's in critical condition. Right now, a friend of ours, a FOmar, is trying to assist the nurses. But it doesn't even look like the patient will make it into the hospital."  
  
"Where's your partner?" T-65 asked.  
  
"She doesn't handle these types of situations very well, if you know what I mean," he responded not taking his attention off of the scene before them. "She's in the Guild waiting for us." Soon many of the people started to sadly walk away. Then, Mina, Galactica, and T-65 could clearly see what was happening. The FOmar was kneeling alongside the client and her obviously dying friend.  
  
"I'm sorry," the FOmar said with his eyes closed and his head down. "There is nothing I can do. I'll leave you two alone." He then got up and walked toward the HUcast.  
  
"Castor...please... don't die!" sobbed Ikana. "You can't leave me."  
  
"Ikana..." Castor managed to say. "I'm sorry...I made you cry. Goodbye." He breathed once more before he passed away. Meanwhile, the others had gone back to the Guild, unable to bare any more of the scene.  
  
"So, are these the two who saved you from the Hildebears?" Mina asked, pointing to the HUcast and HUcaseal.  
  
"Well I wouldn't say saved," said T-65 just as Galactica elbowed him. "Okay, okay."  
  
"Yes it was them," Galactica said. The two people being spoken of were about to tell them it was no big deal, when suddenly Mina gave them a bear hug.  
  
"Thank you so much for protecting my babies," Mina said.  
  
"You're...welcome," the HUcast said uncomfortably.  
  
"Yeah...it was...no problem," the HUcaseal choked.  
  
"How can I ever repay you?" Mina asked still smothering them.  
  
"Could you let us go?" they pleaded at the same time.  
  
"Sorry, sorry," Mina said with a goofy grin as she released them. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength." Galactica and T-65 had learned that early on.  
  
"Perhaps we should formally introduce ourselves," suggested Galactica. "My name is Galactica Chikara."  
  
"I'm T-65 Chikara," the RAcast said proudly. "My first name comes from part of my serial number."  
  
"And I am Minako Chikara," said the FOmarl, "but you may call me Mina."  
  
"Okay..." said the HUcaseal hesitantly. "My name is Anne Yusta."  
  
"My name is Miguel Azure," said the HUcast. "Guess why I got this paint job."  
  
"Save it for later," said Anne.  
  
"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten up the mood," argued Miguel. For the entire time, a certain FOmar had been very quiet. Mina decided that it was his turn to speak up.  
  
"Excuse me," she said poking him.  
  
"Huh?" he said snapping out of his deep thought. He had to look down at a rather steep angle to see her.  
  
"It's your turn to introduce yourself, handsome," she teased causing him to blush.  
  
"Oh, uh...sorry," he stammered. "My name is...uh..."  
  
"Oh for crying out loud, Chronos!" said an agitated HUcaseal. "Get your mind out of the clouds."  
  
"Yeah, that's it," he remembered. "I am Chronos Ranzo. Please excuse my rudeness. I was just thinking..."  
  
"About what just happened a few minutes ago," she interrupted. "Just as you said, there wasn't anything else you could do. He was too far-gone. Now let's get off of this dreary topic. I'm willing to treat everyone here to lunch at the Ming Zoa Restaurant."  
  
"Sounds good to me," said T-65.  
  
"Too good," said Galactica suspiciously. "What's the catch, Mother?" That last word caught the new friends off-guard.  
  
"Mother?!" said a very surprised HUcast. "But...you two are...androids and she's...ow!" he stopped as Anne kicked him in the leg.  
  
"Miguel!" Chronos whispered harshly. "Don't be so rude."  
  
"Oh that's alright," Mina said with a smile. "Most people find it strange to hear androids call me their mother. I'm the one who created them. I just decided to have them call me that."  
  
"I'm not even gonna ask why she decided to do that," Miguel thought to himself. "Well anyway, what is the catch?"  
  
"I'm only paying for the food, not the taxi that takes you there," she said with a smirk. "I'm going to use Ryuker to teleport there. See ya!" she said as she used said Technique to warp to the restaurant.  
  
"I knew it," Galactica said to herself. "I'll go find a taxi, while you all get your money together."  
  
"You guys are on your own on that one," said Chronos as he also used Ryuker to teleport."  
  
"Sometimes, I really wish I could do that," said Anne as she headed for the Check Room to withdraw from her account. 


	5. A Day Off

Chapter V: A Day Off 

            Just like that, the group had become great friends. Apparently, both sets didn't have many other friends. Galactica was so shy that most people who met her thought she was antisocial. Miguel on the other hand, seemed to be too much of a clown for a HUcast. Anne actually had a few enemies, one of whom was another HUcaseal who seemed to pop up at the worst time. Chronos probably had the worst luck. Because of his somewhat feminine appearance, with his robes, slender figure, and shoulder-length red hair, Chronos was often mistaken for a woman. This occurred most often in civilian areas where people were not as knowledgeable about the attire of FOmars. T-65 was somewhat better off. He had actually acquired a couple of friends.

            However, Mina was easily the most social of them all. The biggest reason for this was her reputation as a world-famous scientist. She even worked at _The Lab_, a very secretive organization on Pioneer 2 that did major studies. For this reason, she and her "children" were part of a minority among hunters in that they lived in a private home. The vast majority of hunters lived on smaller convoy ships that were linked to Pioneer 2. Her apartment had a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, and three bedrooms. She was indeed a very privileged hunter.

            However, lately she had been frustrated by the procedures she had been given. She had been ordered to make various studies on Ragol in secret. In addition to that, she was one of the hunters who had been asked by Principal Tyrell to investigate the explosion on Ragol, the whereabouts of Rico, and the strange behavior of the animals. Of course, she hadn't let it get to her too much. She was a free spirit who enjoyed life. No matter how tough things got, she would always take it in stride. To maintain her cheerfulness, she often took a day for herself. This was one of those days. It was also a day that her Androids decided to relax.

            _"I wonder what I should do today?"_ she thought as she got out of her bed. _"I've been on Ragol almost everyday now. I think it's time to take a break."_ She then looked through her closet for something to wear. Meanwhile, Galactica was in her own room polishing herself. Being an Android, she did not worry about changing clothes everyday, as her "clothing" was made for her and, sometimes, a part of her. Work at the Hunters' Guild had slowed down a bit, so she decided that today was a good day to go to a library and find a good novel to read. Her brother, who was already up and about, had decided to hangout with his friends. Before he left, though, he decided to let someone know where he was going.

            "GA?" he asked at her doorway.

            "Yes?" she asked back to him.

            "I'm going to be gone for a little while," he said. "Just letting you know in case Mom asks."

            "I'll tell her," she assured him.

            "Oh, yeah," he added just before he left, "you missed a spot."

            _"Someday," _she thought angrily to herself, _"I'm going to get him back."_ A few minutes later, Mina came into her room, in a simple purple dress with her hair down.

            "Good morning," she chimed.

            "Good morning, Mother," Galactica responded.

            "How would you like to do some shopping today?" she asked suddenly.

            "Sure," Galactica responded. Shopping was one of those things that she was always willing to do.

            "Well get your money and let's get going," Mina said gleefully.

            On one of the many convoy ships surrounding Pioneer 2, dwelled Anne and Miguel. These ships acted as the homes of many hunters. They were not the most luxurious places to live. They did not have beds; making non-organic life forms the most comfortable people there. There were dining areas, entertainment areas, and the occasional couch. Most hunters had no choice but to sleep in hallways, on the floor of a lobby, or risk napping in a photon chair, which only lasted for a couple hours. Although androids were generally more comfortable here, Miguel and Anne were having other problems.

            "That does it!" Anne said angrily.

            "What's wrong?" Miguel asked just now entering the room.

            "Someone stole my polish!" she said, shuffling through a bag.

            "Is that all?" Miguel asked, unimpressed. "Can't you just buy more?"

            "That was the **15th** one stolen!" she yelled, turning to him. "I'm pretty sure they took some your stuff, too."

            "Like what?" he asked, looking around the room they had "claimed." They didn't really own it. A lot of hunters preferred to claim their territory when they found a spot they liked. In this case, Anne and Miguel claimed a small room in the resting area of the ship.

            "Like your music CDs," she said pointing to the empty spot in the corner where said items used to be.

            "What?!" he barked as he scrambled for his missing CDs. He didn't find any of them except for one that was broken. "That was my favorite one…"

            "I'll bet I know the SOBs who did it," she said looking into the hallway. She then turned back to him. "It was probably…" she paused as she saw what was on Miguel's back.

            "What's wrong?" Miguel asked, noticing her stop in the middle of her sentence.

            "Take a look at your back," she said pointing to the mirror on the wall. As he looked in the mirror, he did a double take. Someone had spray-painted "LOSER" on his back.

            "Yep, it's definitely time to move out," he said, containing his anger as his single yellow eye glowed.

            "But where to?" Anne said. "We've already been through three ships."

            "Maybe it's time to look for a private home," he said thoughtfully.

            "We can't just go out and buy an apartment," Anne remarked. Private homes had been distributed before Pioneer 2 launched, so it would be near impossible to find a vacant home.

            "How about if we move in with someone?" Miguel suggested.

            "Like who?" she said, noting their lack of friends. "We're not exactly the most popular people around, you know."

            "We'll just have to search around…" Miguel replied optimistically.

            Somewhere in the city, T-65 was with his friends at an arcade. They were playing a relatively popular videogame. And as usual, T-65 was winning. His opponent was roughly the same height as him, of medium build, and dressed in a blue tropical shirt. He was of light tan complexion, with blue-green eyes, and had his silver hair tied back into a short ponytail. The person standing to the side was similar to him, except that he was slightly slimmer, shorter, and wore a black and white shirt. His hair was left untied, although it was too short to reach his shoulders.

            _"Hyper Combo Finish!"_ the game declared. "Superior Power!"

            "Heh heh heh," laughed T-65. "You can't beat the Photon Cannon, Taft."

            "Shut up," said his friend Taft, amused at how badly he lost. "The only reason you beat me is cause you kept runnin' away."

            "He beat ya pretty bad there, cuz," said another friend named Cloud. "This would be his 15th win in a row."

            "At least he didn't get a _perfect_," Taft retorted. "_You_ didn't even scratch him."

            "How about a different game?" T-65 suggested. "You guys up for racing?"

            "You're on!" said Taft. "You can't beat the Taft in any racer!"

            In another part of the city, specifically a mall, Mina and Galactica had already begun their shopping spree. At the moment, Mina was trying on some shoes.

            "Well, they feel nice," Mina said walking around in white sneakers.

            "I don't think they suit you," Galactica said. "The color pattern seems too plain."

            "Oh, well," Mina said, taking them off. "Let's check out some jewelry."

            "How does this look?" Galactica asked as she put on an ebony necklace.

            "It certainly does match you," said Mina. "And they are gorgeous."

            "I don't think I can afford this," Galactica said, looking at the price tag. "It costs 10,000 Meseta. Could you lend me some money?"

            "Sorry," Mina said apologetically. "I already spent 1,000 Meseta. It's time for you to make your own money and buy your own accessories. As a hunter, you should be able to make that money in a few days.

            "Not with the lack of jobs there have been lately," Galactica said gloomily. "Besides, I'd rather spend that kind of money on supplies than jewelry."

            "Well, why don't you get a job on the side," her mother suggested. "You should be able to make more money that way."

            "I am not working at a fast-food restaurant," Galactica warned.

            "I know a good job for you," said a new shyer voice. It was Chronos. Like Mina, he was wearing more casual clothing. He was wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans. He also had a cap and red sunglasses. Unlike Mina, he looked terribly awkward. "You should become a teacher's assistant at a Newman school."

            "Is that you, Chronos?" Galactica asked. "I didn't recognize you in those clothes."

            "I avoid wearing my Force outfit in public in these types of areas," he said uneasily.

            "But you look so cute in it," Mina blurted causing Galactica to giggle and Chronos to blush.

            "Uh…er…thanks," Chronos said, trying to stop blushing.

            "What about that Newman school you were talking about?" Galactica said, returning to the subject.

            "Androids make the best teachers for Newmans," he responded as he finally stopped blushing. "Only Androids can keep up with the speedy maturation period of Newmans. It also pays pretty good."

            "I guess I'll give it a try," Galactica said. "Where is it?"

            "It's the _Nei School for Newmans_ on Nickel Street," he answered. " It's on the fourth floor of the building.

            "Where's Nickel Street?" she asked.

            "It's in the Dotala area," Mina answered. "That's a 10-minute walk from our home."

            "I'll go there tomorrow," Galactica said. "Does anybody want to go to the library? I need to get something to read."

            "I just went there," said Chronos. "You could probably get a map to the school there."

            "I'll pass," said Mina. "The library is just too boring for me."

            "Okay, bye," Galactica said as she left.

            "It looks like my only remaining child has abandoned me," teased Mina.

            "Don't worry," Chronos played along. "I'm still here. Would you like to join me for some tea."

            "Why, I'd love to Mr. Ranzo," Mina said playfully.

            As they were about to leave, the clerk at the jewelry department yelled out to Chronos, "Excuse, me sir, but are you going to buy those glasses!" This startled Chronos as he dropped the sunglasses. Mina, who had also been caught by surprise, accidentally stepped on them.

            "Oops!" Mina said, jumping back.

            "You break them, you buy them!" yelled the clerk.

            "Uh…Chronos…" Mina whispered, "I'm out of money."

            "I'll take care of it," he whispered back. "How much were they?" he asked the clerk.

            "Those particular glasses were 200 Meseta," the clerk said as she picked up the bent frames.

            "…200?!" Chronos said, stunned. "Um, Miss Chikara, how about if we just have some of my homemade tea?"

            "Sure!" Mina agreed.

            At the same time, elsewhere, Miguel and Anne were lugging their belongings around in tote bags asking everyone they knew if they could move in. So far, they hadn't even gotten a maybe. Some examples of the responses they got included: "Yeah, right," "Not on your lives," "Who are you, anyway?" and "Losers." The first home they had gone to was Chronos's, but he wasn't home. It was the same at the Chikara home. They were getting desperate. They finally came to the home of Anne's worst enemy, a HUcaseal named Felize. Of course, Anne objected to this.

            "There is no way that I'm going to start begging for mercy to that…" began to say.

            "We don't really have a choice," Miguel interrupted before she could start ranting. "We've tried everybody else we know."

            "We could try Chronos and the Chikaras again," Anne suggested hopefully.

            "There's no telling when they might get back," Miguel said as he rang the doorbell. "Now try not to make this too difficult." When the door opened, there stood an android who was taller than Anne but still shorter than Miguel. Her color pattern consisted of white, purple, black, and a little blue. Her head had the appearance of purple and black metal hair. Some of it covered the right side of her face. She also had a large, sharp, three-pronged bow on the back of her head. She seemed surprised to see the two.

            "What are you doing here?" she asked sternly.

            "Well…uh…you tell her, Anne," said Miguel, obviously intimidated. He then added in a whisper, "Remember to smile for both of us."

            "Humph!" Anne said. Then she forced an obviously fake smile on her metal face and spoke. "We were wondering if…you would be so kind as to…let us move in with you."

            "Ha ha ha ha!" laughed Felize. "I never thought I would see the day that the great Anne Yusta would be reduced to a street rat." Anne's smile became even more strained as she filled with anger. She was forced to switch to a big grin, which her face was definitely not made for.

            "So, what do you say?" Miguel asked hopefully.

            "You can rot in hell for all I care!" Felize laughed as she slammed the door.

            "_Puta_ bitch," Anne seethed, as steam began to escape the root of her ponytail.

            "I guess we can try the other two apartments again," Miguel said as he hefted his tote bag.

            "I told you she was a bitch," Anne commented as she followed him.

            Meanwhile, back at the arcade, T-65 and his friends were still playing games. Since T-65 kept beating them, they had switched to a cooperative shooting game. T-65 was still excelling.

            "You have to aim first," T-65 said to Cloud.

            "No time!" he responded as his character was killed.

            "You suck!" Taft laughed, shaking his head.

            "I think I've had enough of this. I'm starting to get a headache. How long have we been playing?"

            "About 5 hours," T-65 said.

            "Where'd you get all the money for this?" asked Taft who had long ago been using T-65's money to play.

            "I'm a Ranger," T-65 said smiling. "I get plenty of money. You two could be hunters, too."

            "How?" Taft asked, interested.

            "Just find a Hunters' Guild and ask about joining," T-65 replied. "They'll take you through the training and everything."

            "Hunters' Guild, eh?" Taft said, rubbing his chin in thought.

            "Anyway, let's get out of here," said Cloud.

            By this time, Chronos and Mina had gone to his apartment for lunch and tea. They had just eaten, but Mina couldn't get enough of his homemade tea.

            "How did you make this?" she asked as she took another sip.

            "It's a secret recipe handed down through my family," Chronos responded. "I'm glad you like it."

            "So," Mina said trying to make conversation, "why did you join the Pioneer Project?"

            "…I don't know," he answered honestly. "I guess its because I just wanted to see a whole new world. I've already been to Motav before and Coral is too dangerous to bother with."

            "You mean you're not from Coral or Motavia?" Mina asked surprised.

            "Correct," he said. "I am from Dezolis."

            "How did you stay warm on an ice planet?" she asked quizzically.

            "It's not as bad as an ice planet," he chuckled. "We just adapt with warm clothing, plenty of heating, and a good sense of community… I should ask how you could survive on a desert planet," he teased.

            "How did you know that I'm from Motavia?" she asked with surprise.

            "A Coralian wouldn't even mention Motavia like you did," he replied cleverly. "So, why did you join this little emigration project."

            "To find a new home, new hope, and new lo…er…life," she stumbled. "That and the fact that I'm the world-famous technological scientist of Motav who joined The Lab! I thought the Coralians could use a little Algolian assistance. If they can't come to Algo, why not bring a little Algo to them? Being that you're from Dezoris, I can understand why you didn't recognize my name. But what about your friends, Anne and Miguel?"

            "They aren't very interested in the scientific exploits," he answered, a little embarrassed. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Excuse me," he said as he went to answer the door. He opened it to find the very people they were talking about. _"I wonder what they want?"_

            "Hey, buddy," Miguel said cheerfully, patting Chronos on the shoulder.

            "What's up?" Chronos asked uneasily, seeing their bags.

            "We were wondering if we could move in with you," Anne said straightforwardly. "Other hunters keep stealing our things, and it's gotten to be a nuisance."

            "Please say yes!" begged Miguel. "We've tried everyone we know. We even asked Felize." At this, Anne bowed her head in shame.

            "Whoa, you guys must be desperate," Chronos said in astonishment. "But uh… I have company over right now. It's just not a good time."

            "It's okay," Mina said from behind Chronos. "It's time for me to go anyway. If I don't leave now I'll be hooked on that tea. I'll see you later, Anne and Miguel. _Sayonara_, _bishonen_," she said as she left.

            "What did she call you?" Anne asked confused by her last words.

            "I don't know," Chronos said, just as bewildered.

            "Who cares?" Miguel said rather than asked. "We can move in, right?"

            "Sure," Chronos said. "But I only have one guest _bedroom_. Do Androids sleep in beds?"

            "Doesn't matter to us," Miguel said as he took his stuff inside. "We can sleep in a bed, against the wall, on the floor, heck, we can sleep standing up."

            "Are you sure you don't mind sharing a room," he asked, uncomfortable with the thought of them sharing a bed.

            "It's fine, Chronos," Anne assured him, pinching his cheek. "I already know what you're thinking. Trust me; there are some things that Newmans and Humans can do that we can't." Her implication made him blush the deepest red she'd ever seen in his face.


	6. Magnitude of Metal

Chapter 6: Magnitude of Metal 

The next day was the day that Galactica would apply for a job at the Nei School for Newmans. Instead of walking there, she had taken a taxi that flew her straight to the right deck and floor. As she entered, she noted how unusually professional the facility seemed. It was probably due to whom the school's name was dedicated to. Nei was supposedly the precursor of the Newman race almost 2,000 years ago. Some historians speculated that she had the DNA of a Muskcat, a type of feline, and a Palman, the ancestors of all Algolian humans. As Galactica approached the front desk, she became unsure of whether she would be accepted.

"May I help you?" asked the secretary, a friendly-looking brunette.

"Um, yes," Galactica replied nervously. "I am here to apply for a position as an instructor's assistant."

"Great," the secretary said. "We've been a little understaffed around here. Please fill out this form," she said handing Galactica a paper. "When you're done, just bring it to me and I'll get an interview ready for you." It didn't take Galactica too long to complete the form.

"I'm finished," she said giving the form to the idle secretary.

"All right…Miss Chikara," the secretary said, reading her name. "Follow me." They then walked down a short hallway and to a door. "Please wait inside. Someone will be with you shortly." The secretary then left. Inside was a desk with a chair on both sides. Galactica took a seat just as a man about the same height as her walked in. His long pointed ears showed that he was a Newman.

"You must be Miss Chikara," he greeted as he sat behind the desk.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you," Galactica greeted him politely.

"Now, I'll just take a quick look at your information," he said as he read the form. "Hmm…uh huh…I see that you're a Ranger. Will that interfere with the school day?"

"No, the school day is short enough to allow for that career as well," Galactica replied. "May I ask you a question?"

"Okay, shoot," he said casually.

"I don't believe I caught your name," she said.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm Noah La Michelo."

"Mr. Michelo," she started, "what type of training will I undergo and what sort of class will I be assisting?"

"Since, you're an android," he replied, "your training will be minimal. It will last a few days. As for the class, I think we'll start you off with a very experienced teacher. Her class consists predominantly of girls. All subjects are taught in her class."

"Who am I assisting?" Galactica asked.

"Her name is Isis Mk. X," he replied. "She is also a RAcaseal, like you. She is one of the best teachers we have."

"When does the training session begin?" Galactica asked.

"The soonest session starts…in 15 minutes," he replied, looking at his watch.

Today was a day that T-65 had taken a peculiar quest. The description given was "Retrieve items that were stolen on a trip back from Ragol." According to the client, a trader named Garon, another Ranger had gone to look for the items. But, he returned to say that an android had taken them. T-65 later found out that the items were just Mags. The RAmar, Dacci, said they voluntarily left with the android. They weren't stolen. T-65 also found out, after talking to people in the area, that Garon was not a trustworthy trader and belonged to a questionable group of merchants.

T-65 took the teleporter to the Forest and started his search. He met some minor resistance from the Natives. A few Boomas, wolves, and Rag Rappies were no longer a real challenge for him in such small numbers. After traveling through the Forest for a little while, he finally found who he was looking for. It was a pink-haired RAcaseal holding a Sniper Rifle. She looked very similar to Galactica with the exception that she was silver-skinned and wearing a pink outfit. Instead of a bow, she had what seemed similar to be a maid's cap. Not expecting to meet a girl, he slowly walked up to her, careful not to scare her.

"Well…one's still missing," she softly spoke to herself. Hearing his approach, she jumped back and relaxed slightly upon seeing him. "I was surprised…"

"Sorry about that," T-65 apologized.

"Ah…excuse me," she began, "but have you seen a Mag around here?"

"I'm looking for it," he responded carefully.

"What? You came here to retrieve Mags?" she asked, again surprised.

"Did you…?" T-65 began.

"No, no!" she said quickly. "I didn't mean to take them from the Ranger. But they all looked so sad, so I just started talking to them. And…they looked very happy," she continued. "I just wanted to say hello. But…they all wanted to come with me, and they chased after me. Then everyone returned to their master's place. They aren't here now," she said solemnly.

"I see…" T-65 said understandingly.

"Only one MAG was saying that it would come with me," she added, "but it disappeared. Sorry about that…Are you going to look for it?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm here," he said, spinning his gun.

"Let me join you," she said, moving closer to him. "Maybe it didn't stray too far from me," she said, looking around. "By the way, I'm Elenor. Elenor Camuel."

"I'm T-65," he said. He was careful not to give his full name too quickly. It was not wise to give out your full name to just anyone.

"Let's backtrack a bit," he suggested. "I think I missed an area." They then walked into the area that T-65 had previously been in. He had been right. To the right was a passable laser fence. As they went through Elenor began to feel a bit guilty.

"Are you mad because I let the Mags run away?" she asked, stopping him.

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving his hand in dismissal. "You just did what you thought was right."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "But please listen; I don't know if you're aware of this, but... Mags are intelligent. When a hunter equips a Mag, it recognizes him or her as its master. Some Mags are clever. They can protect or heal their masters! Moreover, some can do a lot of photon damage. Doc told me, but... I forgot...Aaa...anyway! Mags'll try to help you if you're nice to them. Mags feel very sad when they lose their masters." She was obviously very knowledgeable about Mags.

While there was no Mag in this corner of the forest, there were a number of supply boxes and treasure chests. After picking up a few items, none of which were noteworthy, they went back to where they had begun. The next area was a narrow, winding trail. There was a treasure chest behind a red laser fence. The switch to deactivate it was right next to it. T-65 deactivated the fence and found a Telepipe inside the treasure chest. For some reason, since he had met Elenor, he had not blasted a single chest or box. Instead, he just lifted the lid and took what he wanted.

When they went through the next gate, there was a wide sandy path in front of them with a laser fence on the right and its switch on the left. As they walked forward, a pair of Boomas ascended from the ground. Without saying a word, Elenor quickly shot them with her Sniper. She killed one of them in three shots.

"_She must be kinda strong to kill it so easily,_" T-65 thought to himself, picking off the other Booma.

Then another pair of Boomas appeared to the right. They were also quickly killed by Elenor and T-65. Then, a pair of Rag Rappies dropped in. Just as they started to approach, the androids quickly downed them. They heard roars behind them. The sources were two yellow Goboomas. Again, they didn't last very long against Elenor's Sniper and T-65's Handgun.

"_Wish I had a Rifle,_" he thought to himself. As the two creatures died, the fallen Rag Rappies suddenly got to their feet. Elenor immediately turned to shoot one. T-65, not expecting them to get back up, followed along and shot the other. Despite being hit, the Rappies still managed to run and tumble into the bushes. They left behind some items. T-65, not expecting this either, went to check them out. Unfortunately, a strange noise from above told him that a Monest and its Mothmants were coming in for a landing.

"Cover me," he said to Elenor while he glanced at the items. She complied, by shooting as many of the flying menaces as she could. After seeing that the items were not valuable, T-65 began to shoot the Monest. Elenor joined in as soon as the Mothmants were all gone. The Monest fell from the punishment but released a few more Mothmants. T-65 quickly destroyed them, while Elenor finished off the Monest. After no more enemies appeared, T-65 went over to the switch and turned off the laser fence. The boxes behind it contained Meseta.

"Do you want any of this?" he asked, trying not to seem greedy.

"No thank you," she replied. "I don't need any more Meseta. Doc provides everything for me."

"Suit your self," he said as he took the money.

"Oh, I just remembered!" she exclaimed. "When Mags get damaged, they charge energy to endure the pain. The charged energy can be converted into a Photon Blast!" She then paused to say, "But I'm not sure…When the energy is fully charged your Mag tells you to use the power!"

"I don't think my Mag can do that yet," T-65 said, looking at his simple Mag. It was just an orange floating piece of metal next to his shoulder.

"I'm sorry but I'm not sure," she responded. "Anyway, that lost Mag couldn't have gone much farther."

When they entered the next area, they found a pack of wolves waiting for them. Elenor was able to keep them at bay with her long-range weapon. T-65's weapon didn't have as much range so he had to move closer to the Savage Wolves. Elenor managed to slay the Barbarous Wolf, causing the others to howl. The red and blue sparkles returned, making the wolves easier to defeat. Afterwards, a few Boomas appeared and made their way over to the androids. They were also dispatched easily. As they began searching, Elenor went into deep thought.

"I remember now…" she said thoughfully.

"Remember what?" T-65 asked looking back to her. _"She's opening up to me an awful lot. Definitely not the average Android."_

"I used to have a Mag a long time ago," she said. "It had a twin. I lost it when it was still a baby, so I feel guilty about that…" she said, looking down. But I'm sure it's doing fine!" she said, more upbeat. "The doctor said it's probably doing fine, anyway! Still…I often wonder what it turned out to be, now that it's all grown up. I wonder what your Mag will turn out to be!" she said, looking to T-65 with a smile.

"I know one thing," he said. "It's going to be a strong Mag. And it'll look pretty cool, too." The next area they entered was one that T-65 had already cleared of animals. Elenor could tell by the bloodstains on the ground.

"I guess I missed it when I first came through here. They then started looking around. Elenor seemed to be a bit distracted.

"Something wrong?" he said, noticing that she was looking uncomfortable.

"I don't know if I should tell you this…but," she began, "T-65, your Mag is hungry…"

"They get hungry?" he asked surprised. "I thought that you could just give 'em stuff to make 'em stronger."

""It's true!" she persuaded him. "Mags are alive. Yours needs something to eat. It's best to give a Mag its favorite item. Each Mag has its own characteristics and its own favorite items. Some like Monomate, others like Dimate."

"Like this?" he asked as he gave his Mag a Dimate. It bounced in the air in approval.

"That's it," she said approvingly. "It's easy, isn't it? Try to know 'your' Mag. It grows as its Master gains experience."

"Thanks for the info," he said. They then went through the second area that T-65 had been to since he arrived.

As they walked, Elenor said, "T-65, your Mag is cute. It likes you a lot." T-65 actually blushed at this, although he hid it from her.

"How can you talk to them?" he asked, trying to keep his composure. All of this time, she had been telling him about his Mag.

"Huh?" she asked, caught off-guard by the question. "Well, because…um…I'm sorry…I just don't know." They continued into the next room. Elenor saw something near the teleporter to Pioneer 2. "Hey! There it is! There! Over there!" she said pointing just ahead. "Can you see it?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "We found it!" He ran over to the red basic Mag and picked it up.

"Hi again," she said to it. She stayed silent for a moment, presumably listening to what it was saying. "I see."

"What did it say?" asked T-65.

"It visited its ex-master to say bye-bye," she responded. "Now it's done. It says it wants to have a new master. See? Mags prefer a master that loves them. T-65, please take care of your Mag. Even if you can't hear its voice, know that it understands you."

"Don't worry," he said confidently. "My Mag will be the best one that anyone's ever seen."

"Mags are good partners to hunters," she commented. "I 'know' my Mag. I can feel my Mag because I'm very close to it."

"_That's deep,_" T-65 thought to himself. "I wonder what it's like to talk to a Mag_._"

"It's fun," Elenor responded positively. "Most of them are very nice."

"Did I say that out loud?" he laughed, a little embarrassed. "Thanks for the help, Elenor. I'll see you around."

"Bye, T-65," she said waving as he teleported to Pioneer 2. The RAmar was happy to hear that the Mags did what they wanted. Garon was sorely disappointed that only one Mag was brought back. Despite the fact that he didn't like the results, he couldn't take his money back from the Guild. T-65 collected his Meseta and went about his business.

Back at the school, the day's introductory session had ended. Job candidates were finding out whether they would be suitable teachers and for what sort of students. Galactica met an old friend that she hadn't seen in months. It was a very tall, but very beautiful woman in a grey dress with a white collar. She had soft blue eyes, snow-white skin, and shimmering golden locks in a ponytail that reached below her thighs.

"How is my little cousin?" the woman said, tightly hugging Galactica, who was over half a foot shorter.

"It's nice to see you again, Caseal," Galactica said, returning the hug. "What have you been up to?"

"Keeping busy," Caseal said. "Otherwise this mess we've gotten into with Ragol would drive me crazy. When I'm not at home with Alicia and Donoph, I'm here doing volunteer work at the school and orphanage."

"You know each other?" Mr. Michelo inquired. They nodded. "Well, Galactica, this woman here is exactly what we want. She's dedicated, loves children, and volunteers whenever possible. Many of our students who live at the orphanage already know and adore her. I might even say she's the best non-Android employee we have here."

"Mr. Michelo," Caseal began modestly, turning red with embarrassment. "I'm not an actual employee. I don't get paid, I just volunteer."

"And I don't see why you don't go full-time with pay," he said haughtily. "You are the epitome of the reason why teachers should be paid more."


	7. Suspicions

Chapter 7: Suspicions

Mina was not having a good day. Her latest orders from The Lab had thoroughly ruined her morning. She had just received an assignment to create some sort of spying devices. Her previous innovations, microscopic recorders were already declared invalid for the Lab's uses. Simply put, she didn't like spying on others and she didn't like losing sleep in the process. That was the last straw. She immediately went to the Chief of The Lab to turn in her resignation. The Chief was the highest authority at the lab. In terms of physical looks, she was a middle-aged redheaded Human with a monocle. Her office looked more like a command deck. Despite her pleading for Mina to reconsider, Mina held steadfast to her resignation.

"Please, Minako, you are one of my best people," Chief pleaded. "Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"My apologies, ma'am," Mina replied, "but I refuse to go on with these types of dealings. I have nothing against you, but I'm sure that there are others who are much more suited to _this_ type of assignment."

"Very well, then," Chief relented, signing the resignation form. "I'm sorry to lose you." After shaking hands, Mina said her goodbyes to her co-workers and walked to the exit.

"_I wonder if I get this week's pay,_" she pondered.

"_That was an odd quest,_" Galactica thought to herself as she collected her Meseta from the Guild counter.

"What are you doing here?" T-65 asked, just walking in. "Shouldn't you be at that job of yours?"

"Not yet," she said, coming out of her thought. "Today is my last day of training. Tomorrow is my first day actually teaching."

"So, how's Ragol today?" T-65 asked. "I'm ready to test out my new Rifle."

"Actually, my experience was rather strange. I was supposed to find a scientist. During my search, I encountered nothing but Rag Rappies. There were so many of them. Almost all of them attacked me."

"Don't tell me you got overrun by a bunch of chickens," T-65 snickered.

"It's not as easy as you think, especially when they attack from all sides!" she raised her voice. "Anyway, it turns out that the doctor was disguised as one of them. I would have shot him, but he was the only Rappy that didn't attack me when I stood right in front of it."

"Did he have some kinda death wish or somethin'?" T-65 asked, somewhat amused.

"He said that he was studying and playing with them," Galactica said dryly. "I suppose that they really are the friendliest creatures…sometimes."

"Looks like you had a lot of fun today," he said sarcastically. "I'll see ya later."

"All right, bye," she waved as she walked off. As she approached the edge of the deck to call a taxi, a young lady came up to her.

"I just had to tell someone!" she said excitedly. "I happened to see Great Sword Zoke a few days ago! He was so cool! But his Android wasn't with him. I heard that she's always with him. Zoke was around the transporter with a Ranger.

"Zoke, hmm?" Galactica said. "Maybe he's investigating the explosion."

"If anyone, he'll find out what happened," she said, walking away.

"_I still have a little bit until my final training test,_" Galactica thought. "_I wonder what Anne is doing._"

"What do you think Galactica's up to?" Anne asked Miguel. "I am SO bored." They were at a bar. Chronos didn't like to be bothered while he was meditating, so they decided to go out.

"She's probably at that teaching job," Miguel responded, sipping his soda. "Say, how about a game of air hockey?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "I'm tired of that dirty old pool table." They then walked over to the hockey table and put in their Meseta. Just as the machine activated, they were pushed aside by a gray RAcast and a green HUmar with a green Mohawk.

"Move over!" the HUmar yelled. "Finders keepers."

"Losers weepers!" the hammer-headed RAcast chanted along.

"You can't just move in on our game!" Anne yelled at the Ranger.

"Especially after we already paid!" yelled Miguel, looking down at the HUmar.

"Too bad," the RAcast said getting ready to play the game.

"Do something about it," said the HUmar, getting the puck.

"I'm warning you," Anne said in a low voice.

"We're so scared," the RAcast mocked. "Like a little girl's going to actually do something."

"Yeah," agreed the HUmar. "Only thing you're good for is pretending that there's actually something under that body suit. If there was, I'd be on ya like white on snow."

"Ooooh boy! Bad move, pal," Miguel said, as his single eye glowed brighter.

"What?" the RAcast asked mockingly. "Did we make you mad?"

"Well," Miguel replied, slowly backing up, "not me so much as her." The people walking around outside the bar were startled as the gray RAcast went flying through the window, now unconscious. By the time he had landed a very shrill scream could be heard coming out of the bar. It had come from the HUmar, now in a fetal position, holding tightly onto his crotch with tears streaming down his face.

"Let's go," Anne said pulling Miguel out of the bar.

"Well, at least we didn't get banned this time," Miguel said as they caught a taxi home.

Meanwhile, T-65 had taken a quest from a travel agency. The agent told him to find survivors from a crashed pleasure boat called Gran Squall. Apparently the boat had left Pioneer 2 a little before the explosion. All communications were lost. T-65 was just one the hunters sent down to search for its whereabouts. For some reason, the client said not to talk about the Gran Squall. Client confidentiality was commonplace in the guild, so his request had more substance to it. So far, T-65 hadn't found anything but the usual wildlife. Then, he ran into a blue and white armored RAmar with what appeared to be an odd-looking bazooka. He was a blond with heavy body armor and a chiseled face. He was just as tall as T-65.

The RAmar, noticing T-65 then asked, "Are you looking for the pleasure boat too? Do you really believe the story about the pleasure boat?"

"Well, yeah," T-65 answered. "That's what the travel agent said."

The Ranger burst into laughter. "Hey are you serious? You're interesting. Ha, ha!"

"I don't see what's so funny," T-65 said smugly.

"Oh, sorry," the RAmar said, stifling himself. "Forgive my rudeness. Want to come with me? I'll give you some good information."

"Okay," T-65 said, glad to get some assistance.

"Come on!" he said, leading the way. The gate they walked through lead to a beige HUmar with a green flattop haircut and a Saber.

"Are you working on the quest offered by the travel agency?" the HUmar asked.

"Yep," T-65 answered.

"I'm doing that, too," said the HUmar. "But I can't find any traces at all. Let me know if you find anything." T-65 and the RAmar continued onward. As they walked down a path, the RAmar spoke up.

"Don't you think that this quest is strange?" he asked. "A pleasure boat departed before the council made first contact? No way! I really doubt that the ship hit the ground."

"_Well, there isn't any wreckage around here to prove otherwise,_" T-65 thought to himself, "_except for some of these pods._" Before they got to the next gate, they came upon a familiar RAmar. It was the silver helmeted RAmar that had let the Mags go with Elenor.

"You searching for the Gran Squall?" he asked. "Will you share your info with me?"

T-65 only shrugged saying, "Well, you see the thing is…"

"You know nothing, am I right?" he asked. "You have no information to share. How about you?" he said looking at the blond RAmar.

"No thanks," he said, looking down.

"You want to monopolize the money, right?" the silver RAmar said, not surprised. "Same as the man in black."

"_What man in black?_" T-65 thought as he and the blue RAmar continued down the path, approaching another gate. Still thinking to himself, T-65 walked straight into the unopened gate.

"Huh? What's wrong with this thing?" he said, banging on the gate. They noticed some electrical discharge coming from it.

"Won't open?" the RAmar asked. "Is the mechanism broke? Let me take care of it." He went up to the gate and knelt down to what would be the hinge if it were a door. After a few seconds, the gate unlocked and opened.

"How did you…?" T-65 asked, surprised that it had been fixed so fast.

"I have the knack," the RAmar said, smirking. When they entered the room, some minor opposition appeared: a pair of Boomas and a trio of wolves. One was the bluish Barbarous Wolf. T-65 would finally be able to see what the RAmar's weapon could do.

"It's about time I got some action," T-65 said, taking aim and shooting a Booma. "I was starting to get bored."

"Time to take you down!" the RAmar said firing his weapon. It was very different from any other weapon that T-65 had seen. It shot a slow, small fireball. Its target, the other Booma, fell to the ground covered in flames.

"That's a nice gun you got there!" T-65 said killing the other Booma. T-65 was still doing most of the shooting. Apparently, the RAmar's weapon took a few seconds to recharge after each shot. After the wolves had been slain, more animals came: a Monest, two Rag Rappies, four Barbarous Wolves, and two Gigoboomas. This fight would take more effort from the Rangers.

By this time, Anne and Miguel had gotten back to the apartment. The first thing they noticed when they entered was music that was different from Chronos's usual meditation preference.

"You hear that?" Anne said to Miguel.

"You mean the absence of the usual depressing atmosphere?" Miguel joked. "This music is more upbeat yet…"

"Kind of quieter?" Anne suggested.

"Yeah," Miguel agreed, walking through the living room towards Chronos's room. "Hey, his door's open." They peaked inside. Chronos was sitting, Indian-style, on his tatami mat with his eyes closed like he always did. What was different was the presence of the lady just to the side of him, also meditating.

"Isn't that Mina?" Anne whispered. Miguel nodded in agreement. "What's she doing here?"

"I don't know," Miguel whispered, "but we'd better back off. You know how Forces get when you interrupt their meditation." The two Androids then softly closed the door and went to another room. Neither Force was aware of the presence of the Androids, but they did sense each other. During the entire time, Mina held a frown on her face, still upset about that morning.

"You must let go," Chronos spoke softly, sensing her anger. "They no longer have any power over you. Such a pretty face should not remain so angry."

"Thank you," Mina responded, placing her hand on his. "I can still see the light."

After clearing another room full of beasts, T-65 was thoroughly envious of his teammate's weapon. It could kill almost anything in one fiery shot. But, he was still anxious to end this mission. And he hadn't been told anything yet.

"Hey, hold up a sec," T-65 said before they went through the next gate. "What about that info you said you had?"

"The information?" the RAmar said surprised. "Oh, yes. Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure," T-65 shrugged casually.

"Do you swear?" he asked.

"I won't tell anyone," T-65 assured him. "So what do you know?"

"The true meaning of this quest is not what it appears to be," he said cryptically. "The Gran Squall crashed on Ragol. That's true. But it's not a pleasure boat. The Gran Squall's a secret military ship. I don't know what its purpose was. Anyway, it crashed on Ragol. I confirmed it with my source who's working on another quest with me. My source says there must be a survivor. My true quest is camouflaged by the travel agency's quest."

"Well, that helps," T-65 said, a little dumbfounded. "It shouldn't be too hard to find a survivor…if they're still alive." They then moved on to the next gate to find a teleporter. They used it to get to the second area of the Forest, near Central Dome. As always, it was cloudy and drizzling.

"Any idea who we're looking for?" T-65 asked, still uncomfortable with this part of the Forest.

"I'm looking for a little lady," the RAmar said, scanning the immediate area. "I heard that a chip is implanted in her body."

"Why does she have a chip in her?" T-65 asked, somewhat appalled.

"I really don't understand why they had to put a chip in her body…But if we're close enough, we can detect her with this machine," he said, pointing to an attachment on his right wristband.

"Let's get this over with," the Android said, moving through the next gate. As always, resistances showed up: four Goboomas and two Savage Wolves. A Gobooma immediately burst into flames from the RAmar's gun. But the RAcast wasn't about to let his partner take all of the kills. T-65 quickly downed a wolf. The other wolf had snuck behind the Rangers. The Goboomas did not advance quickly enough to reach them. After killing another Gobooma with a single shot, the RAmar assisted T-65 with the remaining Gobooma with a Technique called Foie. It was a basic fireball attack. It was faster than his gun, but not as powerful. It did bring down the Gobooma faster, however.

"Gaah!" the RAmar shouted as the remaining wolf pounced on him from behind.

"I got ya!" T-65 said, shooting it off with careful aim. "I guess they like attacking from behind. You okay?"

"I'm okay," he said, finishing off the wolf with another Foie. "Don't relax yet, though." Sure enough, a Hildebear crashed in front of them. It did not fall from the fiery shot of the RAmar.

"Take this!" the RAcast said firing charged shots. The beast only flinched.

"It won't take much more," the RAmar warned, taking another shot. This last shot finally took it down with a thump.

The Ranger made a quick stop at a healing rig, pointed out by T-65. "Okay, we're ready to go," the Ranger said, feeling good as new.

"_Man, this is one long quest,_" T-65 thought to himself. They then entered the next gate.

"_Why is the last day always the longest?_" Galactica asked herself, taking her final training test. She was doing the very last part of the examination: a simulation of grading assignments. During her training, Galactica found out that the Nei School also acted as a daycare and an orphanage for Newmans.

"How are things coming along?" said the Newman instructor. Galactica was the only person who had applied there in at almost a year. The trip from the planet Coral, where nearly everyone was from, to their current position in the Andromeda system had taken two years. Most applicants had appeared in the first year.

"I'm on the last section," she said, not looking away from the computer screen. "It should only take a few minutes."

"Don't rush yourself," he said. "There's no reason for hurry. You're the first tester I've had in a while. Don't forget to consider the bonus points."

"_Damn!_" Galactica cursed to herself. Fortunately, it wouldn't take much more time to compute bonus points. "_What's the point of bonuses? They should know the material. Everything else is irrelevant._" In about 15 minutes, she completed the test.

"Let's just run this through," the instructor said, letting the computer grade the test.

"Excuse me, sir," Galactica asked, " but what is the point of me grading an assignment when a computer can do the same thing more efficiently.

"…Um…good question," he admitted. "I guess it's just a tradition. Kind of like giving a Force a Cane even, though, just about anything else is better."

"Are you a hunter?"

"No…but it's one of those jobs that's just the 'in' thing to do. Everybody talks about them."

"Indeed," agreed Galactica. The computer signaled that it had finished grading the test.

"Let's see…" he said looking at the results. "According to this, you are fully qualified. Welcome to the Nei School for Newmans, Miss Chikara.

"Please," she said, shaking his hand, "call me Galactica."

The two Rangers had just cleared an area of several waves of animals. The only place left to go was to Central Dome. They walked to a teleporter that would take them to a path leading to Central Dome.

"It shows that her signal is coming from this direction," the RAmar said pointing to the platform leading to the Central Dome. As they approached the teleporter, they could see three Monests landing on the platform. "But there seems to be a big party waiting for us. I'm glad that I joined up with you."

"Same here, pal," T-65 said as they entered the teleporter. Mothmants immediately attacked them. "Let's see how you like this." T-65 released an Ice Trap to stop the flying menaces and started shooting them down with his Rifle. The shields on their left wrists protected them from most of the razor sharp stingers. The RAmar shot the Monests with his gun and the Mothmants with Foie. He was surprised when all of them suddenly froze.

"I see," he said, now understanding. "You used a trap, didn't you?"

"Yep," T-65 said as he released a fire trap. "And there's another one waiting."

"Watch this!" the RAmar said as he glowed with more fiery power. Suddenly a large fireball started to orbit him and burn everything around him.

"Nice one," T-65 complimented as he began shooting the Monests. Almost all of the Mothmants died from Gifoie. When the rest broke free of the ice, they flew straight for the Rangers. Then T-65's trap exploded and wiped out the rest of the Mothmants and knocked over all of the Monests. The Rangers didn't give them a chance to release any more bugs. As soon as the nests were destroyed a legion of other animals appeared to attack. There were all three varieties of Boomas. There was also a pair of Savage Wolves and another pair of Barbarous Wolves.

"You're going down!" the RAmar yelled, firing at the Barbarous Wolves. The death of one of them demoralized the rest. T-65 decided to use a Confuse Trap. He backed away a few feet and shot it. The approaching Boomas forgot about him and began attacking each other. T-65 could then concentrate on the more powerful enemies. He slowed them down long enough for the RAmar to take each down with a single shot.

"Oh no you don't!" T-65 yelled as he shot the Savage Wolf that leaped from behind the RAmar. The RAmar, in turn, used Foie on it, finishing it off. T-65 then turned around to finish off the Boomas who had shaken off the confusion. Each went down with two shots from his Rifle. After all of the animals had been wiped out, the next gate unlocked.

"She should be right up ahead," the RAmar said, running through the gate. As they went around a bend, two Savage Wolves leaped from behind them. They were quickly destroyed by the Rangers combined firepower. Then, two Hildebears showed up. They were unable to leap towards the Rangers because of the roof ledge on the side of Central Dome. So they walked. This gave the Rangers an opportunity to shoot from a distance. After taking Rifle shots and two of the RAmar's shots, one Hildebear crashed to the ground dead. The other beat its chest and let out an ape-like shriek. Then it blew a flame similar to Foie at the Rangers. They dodged behind a wall.

"I didn't know they could do that," T-65 said to himself. T-65 then leaned around the wall and managed to pick off the Hildebear with a few shots before it got within striking range. "I think I see someone!" A few yards ahead, was a person lying on the floor. Unfortunately, lying next to her were two Barbarous Wolves, eyeing the Rangers.

"That must be her!" the RAmar said, running up to her. He immediately killed one Barbarous Wolf, allowing T-65 quickly put down the other one.

"Looks like that was the last of them," said T-65 looking for any more resistance. "Did we get here in time?" The girl was actually a FOnewearl and was as short as Mina, if not shorter. In her hand was some sort of Rod. She had platform shoes, with purple socks. Her entire outfit consisted of black, purple, and pink including her jester-like hat. She had red eyeliner and blue hair. She didn't look very well, with various cuts and bruises all over her body.

"She's badly injured," the RAmar said, looking her over and checking her pulse. "It's a miracle she's still alive…Hey, you! Thanks for the help. Can you go ahead and report it to the travel agency? I'll go with her later. Don't worry. I'll contact my other client about this girl before we return."

"You sure you don't want me to hang around?"

"Trust me," he said seriously. "You fought alongside me. I never betray my party. But I'm forgetful. Ha, ha, ha!"

"Okay, see ya!" T-65 said as he returned to Pioneer 2 through a Telepipe. "_Wait a sec. Didn't we just pass by the front door of Central Dome? Where was everybody? What the heck happened during the explosion?_" As he passed the teleporter room, a military guard stared at him.

"You shouldn't talk about your job, even when it's complete," he said sternly. "Got that? Never forget that."

"_What's up his ass?_" T-65 thought. After running by the shop to sell a few newly found wares, he returned to the Hunters Guild. He walked up to the mustached client and said, "Mission complete."

"Excellent!" the client said approvingly. "We didn't expect there to be any survivors. Let me confirm this…Only Bernie and you know about the survivor?

"…Uh…who?" T-65 said confused.

"Huh?" the client said, now also confused. "Oh, Bernie is the Ranger who brought her here for you. It's his nickname. He's always been a mysterious man…I'll take care of the girl. Don't worry. The Guild will pay you your reward."

"Welcome back!" said the Guild girl. "The Hunters' Guild will enrich your life. Your reward is 1000 Meseta. Have a nice day."

"_Time for me to go home,_" T-65 thought to him self. "_That's enough excitement for one day._"

_Notes:_ Decided to make this chapter ever so longer with promotionals and clarification. Hopefully, it makes this story more…interesting. Well anyway, it looks like Mina's done with the Lab. I guess Galactica will be bringing in the weekly check from now on. And it also looks like T-65 has someone to aspire; that was a pretty big gun/bazooka/whatever.

_On the next episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ Mina takes a quest from a very familiar person. But there seems to be a lot of secrecy involved. What's going on? And it's also Galactica's first day of teaching. It's a class of 17 Newmans with the head teacher having a peculiar disorder. Get ready for school because we're graduating to 8th grade in "Research." School is now in session…Only Toonami! (If I actually owned Toonami…or Phantasy Star Online…and many other things.)


	8. Research

Chapter 8: Research

(_Guest starring Isis Mk. X from Pioneer Alley)_

Since Mina no longer had an actual career, she saw fit to visit the Hunters' Guild more often. She saw one quest that caught her eye. Its description was:

_Client__: Alicia_

_Quest__: "To help our study, collect data on native animals on Ragol."_

_Reward__: 2,500 Meseta_

"Excuse, me," Mina said to the Guild Girl, "I'll take this quest."

"I'll contact the client right away," she said, picking up a phone. "It'll probably take a few minutes for her to get here."

"I'll just wait here," Mina said, walking to a corner. "Don't you think there should be some seating arrangements in here?"

"You're not the first person to say something like that," the Guild Girl admitted. "Maybe if we get enough complaints, someone will put in some chairs."

"Excuse me," Galactica said as she walked into a classroom, "but are you Miss Mk. X?" Typing a lesson onto a big screen was a very short android with the appearance of a little girl. She looked similar to Galactica, except that instead of being orange and black, she was cyan and grey. The bow that held on her skirt was bigger and more exaggerated. Her hair was hard, solid metal, unlike Galactica's chain hair.

"Yes," she said almost emotionlessly. "Galactica, correct?"

"Yes," Galactica said, somewhat speechless. "It is an honor to work as your assistant."

"Have been wanting an assistant ever since Pioneer 2 left," she said just as flatly as before. "Call Isis."

"I'm sorry, I thought you were Isis," Galactica said, now confused.

"No, am Isis," the short android said, pointing to herself. "Linguistic skills were damaged after personality code became corrupted. Contractions and pronouns are often omitted from speech. Also lost preprogrammed personality that was more suitable for teaching and daycare. Now, am only teacher." "How did your personality become corrupted?" Galactica asked, now looking at the screen.

"Unknown," Isis replied. "Maybe because am a factory-made android. Not built as a citizen. In fact, new body shells had to be made."

"What factory would that be?" Galactica said, glancing at the screen.

"Mark Robotic Industries, Inc." Isis said. " The first was body shell was Mk. IX. That is why preference is to be called by first name, Isis."

"How do you communicate with others, especially students?" Galactica asked curiously.

"Symbol Chat when necessary," Isis said. "Associates have grown accustomed to interpreting emoticons or understanding impaired language. Galactica is understanding relatively well."

"Well…um…Isis," Galactica stammered, still grasping everything she just heard. "What is the lesson plan today?"

"Algebra, Geometry, Palman History, Coralian History, and Chemistry," Isis replied robotically. "Newmans learn so fast."

"Indeed," Galactica agreed.

"Hello, I'm Alicia Baz," said a blue-haired FOmarl, walking to the Guild. "Someone accepted the quest?"

"Yes, she's right over there," the Guild Girl said, pointing to Mina.

"Alicia-chan!" Mina exclaimed.

"Mina?!" Alicia also exclaimed. "_You_ took my quest?" The only difference in Alicia by that time was the small, reddish diamond planted on her forehead.

"I suspected that it was you," Mina said, smiling. "So, what's with the Native research?"

"Uh…sorry," Alicia apologized. "I can't tell you why we need the data."

"The Lab put you up to this, right?" Mina asked knowingly.

"You know they won't let me say," Alicia whispered. "If you hadn't resigned from the Lab, I wouldn't have to do this."

"You know very well why I quit," Mina said defensively. "Anyway, how do I carry out this research? You're the biologist of the family."

"Well first, let me put this tool on you," the taller Force said, putting a wristband on her right arm. "You know better than me that the animals on Ragol are too dangerous for normal study. This tool will analyze your weapons and their bodies." Mina frowned, confused by what her cousin said.

"You have to kill native species with a specified weapon," Alicia clarified. "We data from 5 different native animals. Their biological data will be stored in capsules inside the tool."

"This thing doesn't look big enough to hold that many capsules," Mina commented. "Am I using a storage system?"

"Yes, but it will only last about 20 minutes," Alicia warned. "Come back by that time. The tool also won't detect animals that are too small."

"You know, Alicia, this seems more like something up your alley. What do you think?"

"Personally, I don't agree with this plan," Alicia admitted. "Even though it's for research, we shouldn't kill animals for data. I don't understand what my boss is thinking…I should go with you to get the capsules myself, but…Sorry, I'm too weak."

"Don't say that," Mina said, trying to comfort her cousin. "With time and experience, you'll get stronger. Now then, I'm off."

"Please hurry!" Alicia called out to the exiting Force. "And be careful!"

"Class, meet Galactica Chikara," Isis said to the uniformed Newmans. "Galactica will be the teacher's assistant." Girls wore purple dresses or skirts while the relatively few boys in the class wore black pants or shorts. It was a class of six boys and eleven girls. The ratio of boys to girls was all part of a semi-scientific experiment concerning school performance.

"Good morning Miss Galactica!" the class chimed cheerfully.

"Good morning," Galactica said nervously. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two children tiptoeing through the door and into the room.

"Late again, girls," Isis said blankly, noticing them. "Galactica, meet Taya and Misha." They were the same size as the other children with Taya being the shorter one. She had sky blue, shoulder-length hair and light pink skin. Misha was a blonde with short pigtails. Her skin was dark tan. Both wore skirts.

"Sorry for being late, Isis," Misha apologized.

"We got a little hung up," Taya said, sitting at her desk.

"Are you often late?" Galactica asked.

"Sorta…" Misha trailed off.

"Maybe we can help break that habit," Galactica hinted. "But let's just continue with the school day."

"First is Algebra," said Isis. "Galactica, summarize what is onscreen to the class."

"And that makes capsule number four," Mina said just after destroying a Monest. She was in the rainy area near Central Dome known as Forest 2. Her weapons of choice were Soul Assaults, sub-machine guns that could generate spiritual energy from enemies. Her Mag was Shato, an advanced, blue, kitten-like Mag. So far, the Forest had been child's play to her. Everything had been so easy to kill, that she only used Techniques to take out large groups of animals. She was walking down the large path where so many other hunters had encountered great resistance. First came a trio of Goboomas. She killed them with the Technique called Gizonde, a single bolt of lightning that shot from her hand and through each beast. Next came a pack of wolves that were easily killed with the same Technique. As she passed a red (locked) laser fence, she noticed a pair of Hildebears on the other side. They could not attack through the fence and neither could she. Mina didn't want to have to waste time looking for a switch.

"_You may be the biologist, Alicia,_" she thought to herself, "_but I'm the technologist_." Taking out various tools, Mina began to tinker with the fence and its mechanism. She switched the polarity, allowing her to pass through it and to the next side. As soon as she entered, the Hildebears lumbered toward her to attack. Before they could really do anything, she used a Technique called Gibarta. It launched shards of ice in front of her, killing the Hildebears almost instantly. A Hildebear then leaped from an unseen tree and almost landed on her. Despite being caught by surprise, she used a barrier to block the immediate swing of the animal's fist. She took a step back, a fired with her guns. Taking a hail of photon bullets, the Hildebear also fell to the ground dead.

"_It looks like this one ate a Trimate,_" she thought, picking up said item from the spot that the animal had melted into the ground.

"Analyzing bio data," sounded the research item, filling the last capsule. "Analyzing battle data…. Setting data code."

"And that makes five," Mina said, acknowledging that the quest was complete. She was just about to use a nearby teleport, when she noticed a light coming from behind her. She turned quickly, ready to face any threat. Instead, she saw that the light came from a message capsule on the ground nearby a previously unnoticed column. She went to the capsule and activated it.

"I heard that this tall column was built to commemorate the immigration of Pioneer 1," spoke a thoughtful female voice from the capsule. "But…it may just be me, but it doesn't look very new. And these patterns…aren't they characters?"

"_Hmm…_" Mina pondered. "_Who left this capsule here? Could it be from Rico? It certainly does sound like someone with her personality. As for the column, I can't tell whether these designs have any meaning. But if it is old, Nadja should have some valuable input._" Mina then went to the teleport to finish her quest. Upon arrival at the Guild, she gave the capsules to Alicia.

"I've confirmed all 5 sets of biological data," said Alicia, looking them over. "Your job is complete. I'm sure that this data will help us proceed with that research." Alicia stared at the device somberly.

"…Is something wrong?" Mina asked noticing that Alicia didn't look very happy to receive the results.

"Oh…no, nothing!" said Alicia, snapping out of her thoughts. "Sorry."

"Okay, I'll just take my reward and be on my way." Mina said walking to the counter. "If you need anything else, you know who to call."

"Enough for today, class" Isis said to the students. They were currently working on a formula for adamantium, an (almost) indestructible metal. "Continue tomorrow."

"Class is dismissed," Galactica said, starting to put away materials. All of the students left except for Taya and Misha, who helped put away materials. Isis had told them to stay after class.

"Miss Isis?" Taya called to her after finally putting everything away.

"You wanted us to stay after class?" Misha also called out. Isis glanced at Galactica and began working on her lesson plan.

"Yes," Galactica answered, understanding the signal. "We just wanted to ask why you two are supposedly late every day."

"Well ya see…" Misha started, "the thing is…we don't have very good transportation."

"Elaborate," Isis said, walking over.

"My big brother can't drive us to school because he's training to become a Hunter," said Taya. "When he drove us, we usually got here on time."

"But now," Misha began, "we have to either walk or wait for that loser, Cloud. That's her brother's cousin…or is it nephew?"

"Misha's mother cannot drive to school?" Isis asked as emotionlessly as ever.

"She's a hunter," Misha said. "Mommy usually can't take us because she's busy looking for quests and stuff. She misses Daddy. He was on Pioneer 1. And my sister, Daniela, won't do anything for us. She's a Force. And…"

"What about your mother, Taya?" Galactica asked, stopping Misha from babbling any further. Taya looked down uncomfortably.

"Taya only has a brother, no mother," Isis whispered. "Adopted."

"Oh…I'm sorry," Galactica said, widening her eyes in surprise. "What is your brother's name?"

"It was Taft, but he said he was going to change it to Xero, spelled with an x," Taya said thoughtfully.

"Taya…what's your last name?" Galactica asked, growing suspicious.

"…He said that we don't need a last name," Taya remembered.

"Does he have an android friend named T-65?" Galactica asked with some agitation.

"You mean the black and orange RAcast?" Misha asked, knowing whom she was talking about. "What about 'em?"

"That RAcast lives with me," Galactica said. "I think I can help you two get here on time."

"Is T-65 your _boyfriend_?" Misha teased, making Taya giggle.

"Do not be so silly," Isis said. "Androids cannot experience emotions as complicated as romantic love."

"T-65 is my brother," Galactica said, slightly offended. "We were built by the same person within months of each other."

"Tardiness problem will be solved," Isis stated. "Dismissed from class."

"Sorry about that, Miss Galactica," Taya apologized as she began to leave. "Say you're sorry, Misha."

"I didn't know!" Misha whined. "Sorry Galactica." Misha then ran out the classroom to catch up with Taya.

"How old are they, Isis?" Galactica asked.

"The class is unusually young. Most grade school Newmans use growth control medications to better correlate with humans and attend school from age five to age twelve. This rather experimental class ages between three-fourths of a year old and one a half years old. Misha and Taya are over a year old."

"How long does a Newman take to mature?" Galactica asked.

"Without medication, most take 2 years," Isis replied. "Reason for asking?"

"How could Misha's father have been on Pioneer 1 if she is just over a year old?" Galactica questioned. "Pioneer 1 left the system 7 years ago. We left 2 years ago. So she would have to be born on this ship." Galactica could have sworn that she saw a hint of bewilderment on Isis's face.

_Notes:_ Okay, that wasn't too shabby. "But why should I care about some brats at some school?" you might ask. Because it had new characters. More characters equal more plot (or lack thereof). "What's up with that Misha kid?" you might also ask. Um …anyway, I told ya Mina was strong! Looks like a certain lab is still managing to yank her chain.

_On the next (long) episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ Things get off to a rough start, as we can see how a certain pair of Newmans try to get to school on time along with some embarrassment on Galactica's part. And Alicia isn't done with Mina yet. You'll finally get to see how she measures up on the next action-packed (not as boring) episode, "Premonitions of Sorrow." It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood…Only Toonami!


	9. Premonitions of Sorrow

Chapter 9: Premonitions of Sorrow

Galactica lied in her capsule, in sleep mode. She began to move, apparently activating. But she didn't become conscious. Her eyes were closed and her movements were slight. She was frowning and began to speak.

"_Where am I?_" she spoke softly. "_Who are you? Show yourself._" She became silent for a moment but began to gasp as if she needed to breath. "_What are you? No, stay away! No! No!_" she began to scream.

"Hey, wake up!" yelled T-65, standing over her. "You okay?"

"T-65?" Galactica said, finally opening her eyes. "A…dream?" She found herself covered in beads of sweat. She had only experienced perspiration in some of the hotter areas of Pioneer 2, so she was baffled by her present condition.

"Looks like ya had a nightmare," T-65 said, smiling. "Was it an army of Rappies?"

"It was a dark…room and…people dying and…" Galactica paused for a moment, trying to recapture the thought. "It's gone."

"I'd comfort you and everything, but if you don't get going soon, you'll be late."

"Late?" Galactica asked, still disoriented.

"For your _job_…" T-65 said condescendingly. "You know, the Newman school."

"Oh, yes," Galactica said, getting out of her pod.

"By the way," T-65 said before exiting, "Taft said that he gave those two girls an excuse slip. He also said he'd somehow be done training by next week. Oh yeah, and he'll make sure that Cloud gets them to school on time."

"Thank you," Galactica said, taking a quick look in a hand mirror and leaving.

"_That must have been one hell of a nightmare,_" thought T-65, beginning to snicker. "Hey, GA, you might wanna take your skirt along. You look kinda funny without it." Galactica immediately returned and, after silently equipped the clothing, left for school. As soon as he was sure that she was gone, T-65 burst into laughter at how jumbled she was.

"You called?" Mina said playfully to Alicia, walking into the Guild.

"Yes," Alicia responded more seriously. "I need your help."

"What is it?" Mina asked anxiously, ready to help out her cousin anytime.

"The data from the capsules," Alicia began, "it was strange."

"So the Lab asked you to have it confirmed, right?" Mina asked, half-expecting to do the same quest over again.

Alicia shook her head. "No, this is a personal quest. This has nothing to do with…a lab. As you know, I've studied mammals my whole life. I was excited to see the mammals that had been discovered on Ragol. But then I heard that the animals had started to act strangely. As for the data that you brought back, it seemed too unbelievable. I want you to come with me to Ragol. I'll collect the data this time."

"So, basically, you want me to be your bodyguard?" Mina asked.

"Yes," Alicia admitted. "I've heard that the animals are vicious, so I will kill them if necessary. But I would prefer not to use my talent as a Force."

"Don't worry," Mina assured. "I'll do most of the work in that department. Besides, you know how to defend yourself. You're around the same level as Galactica and T-65."

"But I'm much weaker," Alicia said somberly. "That's why I didn't go down there in the first place."

"Oh, cheer up!" Mina said. "Forces aren't supposed to use brute strength. Use your mind power. Have you been meditating lately?"

"I've been too busy at work," Alicia admitted. "I haven't had much time to myself."

"That's one reason why I don't work there anymore," Mina said. "Now, before we get started on the quest, I need to change."

"What for?" Alicia asked, surprised. "You're already in the proper uniform."

"I need to go home to get my hat," Mina said, pointing to Alicia's hat. "For some reason, it's usually raining around Central Dome. I don't want to get my hair wet. Now come with me," Mina said, casting Ryuker. "You can help me with my hair when we get there."

"You really shouldn't cast Techniques out in public like this," Alicia said, following Mina through the portal.

"Can't you move this thing any faster?!" Misha yelled at Cloud. He was driving Taya and Misha to school via hovercar. Taft had chewed him out for getting them there late so often, so he was trying to put more effort into it.

"I'm going the speed limit!" the silver-haired teenager yelled back. "If I go any faster, I'll get pulled over."

"Wenji's going to be really mad if you don't get us there on time," Taya warned, giggling.

"We're almost there, dammit!" Cloud yelled. "If you two are late, it's going to be your fault, not mine!" A few minutes later they arrived at the school.

"Okay, get going!" Cloud said, lifting off.

"Let's go!" Misha and Taya said simultaneously. They broke into a run to class. They had less than a minute before they would be late. As they dashed down a hallway, another person joined their sprint.

"Galactica?" Misha said, looking to her left.

"Is this what you do every day?" Galactica asked, not slowing down a bit.

"Why are you late?" Taya asked, starting to pant.

"I overslept," Galactica responded. "And you?"

"Nimbus lost his keys," Taya grinned, referring to Cloud.

"Hey, where's your choker?" Misha asked. "And that cool-looking helmet thing with the big bow. And those things you keep on your arms. If it wasn't for the skirt and the…help me out here…" she said looking to Taya.

"Breastplate?" Taya suggested.

"Yeah, thanks," Misha said. "If it weren't for those, you'd look pretty naked. Nice hair though."

"And he let me walk out like this," Galactica reflected, raising an eyebrow. They slowed down as they approached the door. They entered just as the final bell sounded.

"We made it!" Misha cheered.

"Hello," Isis greeted. "Just in time."

"I meant it when I said they would get here on time," Galactica chuckled to herself.

"Sorry to disappoint," Isis began, "but not time for Physical Education."

"This is a good chance for you to get some more experience, you know," Mina said as she and Alicia appeared in the Forest. Instead of her usual hairstyle, Mina had a purple and white hat that was identical to Alicia's gold and lavender hat. They also shared the same hairstyle. Mina had her guns while Alicia had a Stick.

"Wait a minute," Mina said. "Where is your Mag?"

"My Mag? I left it at home."

"_Naze_?!" Mina asked, surprised. (Why?!)

"I don't know," Alicia whined. "This is my first time coming here. I didn't think that I would need it. The animals can't be that bad…can they?"

"Your Mag would strengthen your abilities," Mina stated.

"I'm sorry," Alicia apologized. "I didn't mean to be a burden."

"Just hit them once and I'll finish them off," Mina assured her. "You're strong enough to take some of them down by yourself, too. Use Zonde on the Wolves, Mothmants, and Goboomas. Use Foie on Boomas, Monests, and Rag Rappies. You'll only need Barta for Gigoboomas, Hildebears, and groups of enemies… Just trust me okay?"

"Okay, Mina-chan," Alicia agreed. "Let's find a transporter to the Central Dome."

"The shortest route there is this way," Mina said walking through a yellow gate.

After walking down a winding path, they came to another yellow gate. It opened to reveal several Boomas waiting inside. They just seemed to be walking around aimlessly.

"Would you like to start with these guys for some practice?" Mina asked. "They aren't very bright, so all you have to do is attack."

"…Okay," Alicia said hesitantly. Mina made the first move by entering the area and making herself known to the animals. They roared and started to approach the pair.

"Make your move!" Mina directed. Alicia took a few steps forward and cast a simple ice Technique, Barta. A bluish cloud of frigid air blew straight ahead of her and into the approaching Boomas, nearly knocking them over.

"One more!" Mina encouraged, killing the nearest Booma with a small burst from her Assault guns. Alicia used Barta again, finishing off the other Boomas. Then another trio of Boomas appeared to their left.

"Keep it up; I won't let them get close enough to hurt you!" Mina assured. She capitalized on her words by standing ahead of her cousin and eliminating the nearest Booma with another burst of photon bullets.

"Here it goes," Alicia said uncomfortably, using Barta twice more. The two remaining Boomas could no longer survive the cold air. Another pair roared some distance away.

"This is getting old," Mina said. "Alicia, when you become a more powerful Force, your Techniques become stronger too. Watch me use the same Technique." Mina then walked to the enemies to draw them closer to her and each other. When she thought that the bear-like animals had gotten in more of a single file line, she cast Barta. Instead of just being a cloud of frigid air, the attack was a mix of mist and sharp icicles that seemed to jut out of the ground. The icy daggers pierced the skin of the beasts and froze their dead bodies.

"It certainly is more destructive," Alicia frowned, having never seen such an impressive Barta used before. "But…"

"I know, I know," Mina interrupted. "You don't like that kind of destruction. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be killing anything. Under normal circumstances, there would be no reason to fight these animals since they're supposed to be docile. As long as they can live, they're going to attack us. Until we can figure out what's going on, it's best that we defend ourselves and eliminate immediate threats."

"I understand that," Alicia said defensively. "I just wish that we didn't have to kill them."

"The transporter should be through the next gate," Mina said, looking over some bushes. "Forest 2 is where the real action is at. You're not going to like what you find there."

Alicia stayed silent. When she first became a Force, slaughter was not what she had in mind. After passing through the next gate, the transporter was in sight. They cautiously made their way to it with Mina on the lookout, ready to eliminate any resistance.

"Stay close to me, okay?" Mina advised, just before they passed though the transporter.

T-65 had gone to the Guild looking for a job. The Hunter's Guild always kept records on each registered hunter. This allowed it to not only contact hunters easily, but enabled it to make good recommendations as to what quests a hunter should accept. That day, there were no recommended quests for T-65. Knowing that the Hunter's Guild always made accurate recommendations, he decided to just relax that day. He was wandering around the Hunter's deck when he happened to spot a familiar face. Standing near the transporter leading to the Principals Office was Elenor Camuel, the pink RAcaseal that he had met days before. When he walked over to talk to her, a red military guard stood in his way.

"Don't talk to that android," the guard ordered. "Know your place, hunter!" The words were devoid of any respect. Whenever someone talked down to T-65, he just tuned them out. Ignoring the obstruction, T-65 pushed guard out of the way and walked over to Elenor.

"Hey, Elenor, remember me?" T-65 greeted.

"Wha…!" Elenor said, surprised to see him. "T-65? You surprised me again."

"Sorry about that…again," he chuckled. "How're things?"

"Fine, thanks," she said. "Is your Mag doing well?"

"Yep," he replied. "In fact, it evolved into a Kalki. It also got its first Photon Blast, Estilla."

"That's good to hear," Elenor said approvingly. "Estilla is supposed to be very reliable, so it should come in handy. I see that you can understand your Mag better."

"So, are you a full time hunter or do you have a place of your own?" T-65 asked.

"I am under the care of Dr. Montague at the Lab," Elenor replied. "I'm sure you've heard of him."

"…Dr. Montague?" T-65 stated rather than asked. "You bet I've heard of him."

Before T-65 could continue, Elenor noticed that a purple, double-winged hover car had landed nearby. "I'm sorry, T-65, but I have to go," she said, turning to board the vehicle.

"Wait a sec," he said stopping her. "Before you go, I want you to have this." He then took out his official Hunter's Guild Card and placed it in her hand. A Guild Card served as a sign of trust and friendship between hunters. It included the hunter's class, race, occupation, Section ID, and just about any other information worth knowing about.

"Oh…thank you," Elenor said, accepting the card. "This is my card," she said, handing him her own. She glanced at his card before.

"…Your name is T-65 _Chikara_?!" she exclaimed.

"Yep," he answered, expecting such a reaction. "The person who made me was Dr. Chikara."

"…Can I call you later on?" she asked with pleading pupil-less eyes. "I want to know more about Dr. Chikara. Doc is always talking about how she's his biggest rival. If she created you, then you must be just like me!" Such emotional expression was unusual in androids.

"Sure!" T-65 agreed. "I'll see you later." After getting in the car, Elenor waved goodbye as it lifted off. T-65 then turned around to find that the red guard had been angrily staring a hole into him.

"What?" T-65 asked innocently.

"I have nothing to say to you," the guard said, turning away and folding his arms.

"_Asshole,_" T-65 mumbled, opting to pay a visit to Cloud. Cloud usually didn't have a job. And if he did, it was a crappy one that wouldn't last long.

"Focus on the Monest!" Mina shouted to Alicia. The first opposition they found in Forest 2 was a swarm of Mothmants waiting in an adjacent room. Mina provided cover fire from the pests while Alicia attacked the nest itself with the fiery Foie. Barta moved too close to the ground to be effective against the suspended pod. Body parts of the bugs fell all around her, as the nest started to crumple. It caught on fire just before Mina decided to assist. Soon, it turned to ash.

"Is that all?" Alicia asked, waiting for more opposition.

"I don't know," Mina admitted. The animals had a peculiar habit of showing up when they were least expected. Such was proven when she noticed a large beast out of the corner of her eye.

"Get down!" Mina barked, tackling Alicia out of the way. In that very spot, landed a Hildebear. It stomped over to the pair and was about to swing its fist, when Alicia smacked its torso with her Stick. It didn't really hurt the monster, but it did cause it to flinch, giving Mina a chance to retaliate with Barta. The beast became frozen solid.

"Is it…dead?" Alicia asked cautiously.

"Not yet," Mina said. She then let out a short burst from one of her guns, shattering the ice. The Hildebear fell to the ground with a thud.

"Are you okay, Alicia-chan?" Mina asked, taking her hand.

"Just a little shaken up," Alicia said, gathering her senses.

"That was pretty quick thinking of you to get in a hit on it," Mina said, beginning to walk to a switch. Upon pressing it, none of the gates in the vicinity unlocked. She already knew that sort of switch was probably meant for something else.

"Do you see that animal?" Alicia suddenly burst out. "It's over there in that alcove." Alicia led the way into the alcove. The animal she was talking about was smaller than most of the animals they had seen. It was about as tall a Mina.

"It looks like a Hildebear," Mina commented.

"And it's just a baby," added Alicia. "Not aggressive at all." When they got to close it cooed and ran off.

"Where did it go?" Mina asked, looking around.

"Maybe we'll run into it later," Alicia said. After walking some distance, they found a weather station with an input device across a stream. They decided to check it out when a bridge rose from the water leading to it.

"Maybe we can finally get some answers," Mina said, activating the input device. "Let's try Pioneer 1's main computer."

"Accessing…" the screen read. "Access denied…"

"Try accessing the local data," Alicia suggested. "See if the weather station has anything on its surroundings."

"Anything in particular?" asked Mina.

"How about 'large mammal life'?" Alicia suggested.

"…Got it!" Mina exclaimed, glad to finally get something out of this machine. "It's talking about Hildebears."

"According to this," Alicia said, "Hildebears 'are very friendly creatures that would never attack unless needlessly provoked.' …That doesn't sound like the Hildebears we've met around here. Can you get anything else?"

"Access denied…" read the computer.

"Apparently, that's all it has," Mina commented. "I don't know why it would only have files on Hildebears though. Just coincidence, I guess…"

"Let's continue the research," Alicia said optimistically.

After going through the next gate, they found another gate right in front of them and a long path to the right.

"Which way do you want to go?" Mina asked, well aware that there would be danger no matter which way they went.

"The gate," Alicia answered. "This way, we won't have to come all the way back here."As soon as they entered, six Rag Rappies fell from the sky. They got up and began approaching the Forces.

"Use Barta!" Mina shouted, being that the birds were uncomfortably close.

"I hate to do this," Alicia said, casting the Technique and knocking over four of the lovably cute Rappies. Another Barta was sufficient enough to KO the other two birds.

"Don't worry," Mina said cheerfully. "They're only feigning death. They aren't very brave, so they'll run away while we're not looking."

"Good," Alicia said, feeling a little better. Suddenly, they heard a loud popping noise. It was coming from down the path.

"Stay behind me," Mina said, looking out the gate. Far down the path, she saw Goboomas and Gigoboomas engaging a blue Force. There was also a young blonde lady in blue with the Force. Judging from her short shorts, uncovered belly button, and long, pointed ears, she was a HUnewearl.

"Someone else is fighting the animals," Alicia said, as they drew closer. The blue Force quickly defeated the Boomas with a series of electrical Techniques. At that moment, two Monests began their descent toward the ground. Three Goboomas and two Gigoboomas sprang up from the ground in front of the Hunter and Force. Four wolves, two of them Barbarous, leaped in front of the FOmarls.

"I'll take care of this," Mina announced to Alicia. She killed all four wolves with a single, yet dazzling streak of lightning.

"Gizonde, right?" Alicia asked, having seen the Technique before.

"Cor-rect," Mina replied.

WHOOSH! A large, fiery explosion quickly outshined her Technique. The cause of this Technique, known as Rafoie, was the blue Force. Everything within its blast range was incinerated. Only the Monests were able to survive the explosion. Mina finished them off with another Gizonde.

"Whose there?" called out the blue Force. It was a familiar voice.

"Chronos? Is that you?" Mina asked hopefully.

"Mina?" Chronos asked, walking closer. His Mag looked like a pair of red, metallic leaves.

"Hildebears!" Alicia warned.

"Behind you!" the HUnewearl added.

For once, the Hildebears had not crashed the scene. Instead, they were stomping over to the hunters from a clearing where the path ended. The HUnewearl took the liberty of shooting at the creatures with her Handgun. Unfortunately, her aim was terrible.

"Stand back!" Chronos ordered, taking out his Autogun, a pistol of better quality. Added firepower from Mina's Soul Assaults brought the two beasts ever closer to their deaths. What killed them, unexpectedly, was Alicia's Barta. No further opposition appeared.

"Nice one Alicia," Mina cheered.

Alicia only replied with a tired smile.

"Mina…You look different," Chronos asked. "Did you get taller?"

"I just look taller with this hat on," Mina replied. "Chronos, this is my cousin, Alicia Baz. Alicia, this is a friend of mine, Chronos Ranzo."

"Nice to meet you," Alicia said, bowing. "Mina talks about you all the time. I'm glad to have finally met you."

"It's a pleasure to meet family of Mina," he said, returning a bow.

"Who is she?" Mina asked.

"I'm just his client," the HUnewearl assured.

"You look familiar," Mina said, taking a good look at her. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"No, we've never met," the HUnewearl said nervously.

"Well then," Mina started, "allow me to introduce myself. I'm Minako Chikara."

"THE Dr. Minako Chikara?!" the Hunter exclaimed. "I've always wanted a chance to meet you! I have so many questions to ask you! What are your speculations concerning the strange explosion at Central Dome?"

"I knew I recognized you," Mina said triumphantly. "You're that reporter, Nol Rinale."

"…How did you know?" Nol asked, disappointed that someone had discovered her. "My disguise was perfect."

"For one thing," Mina began, "no decent Hunter would have aim that bad."

"You were also a bit quick to interview her after hearing her name," Chronos added with nervous laugh.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" Alicia asked. "It's clearly too dangerous for a civilian to be on Ragol."

"I wanted to discover the truth," Nol admitted. "So, I wanted a hunter to take me to Ragol to find out what really happened. But I haven't gotten any answers so far. There aren't any signs of the explosion. And there isn't anybody here from Pioneer 1 or Central Dome."

"Just relentless monsters that seem to want nothing more than to destroy us," Chronos added.

"Then the data," Alicia said in amazement. "The data you collected was true."

"Excuse me?" Nol asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it," Alicia stated. "However, there is something that may be useful to you. Down that path and to the left, there is a weather station that may have some information for you," she said, pointing.

"Thanks," Nol smiled. "Dr. Chikara, when can I expect an interview?"

"Hmm," Mina thought to herself. "We can discuss the time and place online. My screen name is _Lil' Force_. Look me up sometime in the afternoon."

"Thank you very much," Nol said thankfully. "Please don't tell anybody that I was here. C'mon Chronos!" The two jogged down the path and out of sight."

"I think that we're almost done with our quest," Mina said to Alicia.

"I have a bad feeling," Alicia said. "I sense that something is changing Ragol's animals for the worse. I think their gene pool has been altered. They just seem too unusual. I hate feeling so helpless. What happened to the friendly animals that I heard about in Pioneer 1's report?"

"Maybe we'll get some answers from the Central Dome itself," Mina said, walking in that direction.

When they reached the gate down the path, they stopped. They could definitely hear heavy footsteps on the other side.

"There are at least two Hildebears in there," Mina warned.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Alicia asked worriedly.

"First, drink a Monofluid to restore your _ki_," Mina advised.

"What else?" Alicia asked, sipping the recovery item.

"Since Hildebears can use a fire attack similar to Foie, they're probably weak against ice," Mina said. "You may have to start using Gibarta. And one more thing…"

"Yes, what is it?" Alicia said, lowering herself to Mina's level.

"…Be careful," Mina said, grasping Alicia in a soft hug. "Don't hesitate to run if you have to. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'll be careful," Alicia promised, squeezing her in return.

Chronos and Nol had easily found the weather station thanks to Alicia's advice. They had arrived in Forest 2 only a short while after the FOmarls. During her entire time on Ragol, none of Nol's questions had been answered. She believed that the input device would tell her what she wanted to know.

"Let's connect to Pioneer 1's network," she suggested. As had happened before, access was denied.

"That's strange," Chronos commented.

"Why can't we get to its main computer?" Nol asked. "How about local data?"

"I'll try," Chronos said. "…Do you notice a pattern?" he said, looking at what he found.

"All the records, data findings, everything…" she said, astonished. "They all end at the exact same time. Exactly when the explosion happened. Yet there are no marks of the explosion. Pioneer 1 is nowhere to be found. Has it been destroyed?"

"I honestly can't say," Chronos admitted.

"I came here to discover the truth," Nol continued. "But instead of getting answers, I'm only getting more questions. I'm not even sure if the people of Pioneer 2 should know the truth at this point. The situation is starting to become scary. To tell you the truth, I'm terribly frightened."

"May I suggest that we return to Pioneer 2?" Chronos said.

"…Yes," she said. "That's enough. Your quest is over. Take me back to Pioneer 2. I should be getting back to the residential area before someone gets suspicious."

Mina entered the gate first and, sure enough, there were two Hildebears inside, both with their backs turned. Before they could turn around, she unleashed 20 rounds of blue photon bullets, killing one Hildebear. The last 8 rounds restored a portion of her Technique energy. Alicia used a quick Barta to slow down the other Hildebear. Mina would have a harder time casting Techniques when a Soul Assault occupied both of her hands. But she managed to cast her own Barta by pointing her foot at the Hildebear. The moment it died, three more leaped onto the scene, surrounding the Forces.

"Watch out, Alicia!" Mina yelled, casting Gibarta on one of them. It shot out ice chunks and cold air at the beast with a wider angle and higher altitude than Barta. The animal immediately froze to death. Mina then started blasting an adjacent Hildebear with her guns.

Meanwhile, Alicia attempted a Barta on the third Hildebear, which had landed behind her. She cast it repeatedly as fast as she could to keep it from coming too close. When it did get uncomfortably close, she backed up a bit and continued to attack. After the sixth Barta, it finally died. She sighed of relief just as Mina finished off her target.

Then four Hildebears jumped out. Three surrounded Mina. The fourth one nearly landed on Alicia, knocking her back. It immediately swung at her. She was able to weather the force of the blow with her Barrier and stun it with another Barta. She backed up a bit and then used Gibarta. The Hildebear was unable retaliate immediately, so Alicia tried to do another Gibarta. Unfortunately, all that she emitted were a few snow flurries. She had used up much of her energy casting so many Bartas in quick succession. The Hildebear didn't care.

"Ugh!" she groaned, as it sent her tumbling back with another punch.

Mina was having her own set of problems. The Hildebears had landed so close that they didn't have to walk anywhere to strike her. She was able to block many of the blows with her Barrier, but the Hildebears gave her no escape route. Fortunately for her, the blows that she couldn't block didn't hurt as much as they would to an inexperienced hunter. She also had a hard time attacking back. Three Hildebears that didn't attack simultaneously made it difficult to fire back, not to mention cast a Technique.

Alicia knew to get up quickly after getting knocked down. She rolled out of the way just as the primate's fist slammed into the ground. This was the time to run. She couldn't run back out the gate, since the Hildebear was blocking her way. So, she ran towards a short path opposite of the gate. While she ran, she consumed both a Monomate and a Monofluid. She then ducked into a small clearing to the right of the path. By that time, the Hildebear had lost interest in her and decided to join in the pummeling of Mina. Catching her breath, Alicia noticed a creature next to her. It was the baby Hildebear they had seen before.

When they looked at each other, it cried again. This time it didn't run off. Unfortunately, its cry summoned two more adult Hildebears. One decided to join the others. The other Hildebear moved in Alicia's direction.

It was a bad idea to be backed into a corner, so she met it head on. She stopped it with a quick Barta before it could block off the path. Slipping out, she ran in Mina's direction. Despite Mina's strength, she knew that Mina would wear out sooner or later. The preoccupied Hildebears ignored Alicia. She could see that Mina couldn't fight back and needed a chance to retaliate. Alicia got as close to one of the behemoths as she could without touching it. Then she cast Gibarta, which wasn't as impressive as Mina's but did what it was supposed to do. Since the Hildebears had gathered so closely, the blast of ice bits hit them all. While Mina did get a quite a chill from the icy attack, she knew that this was her chance.

"Thanks," she said, taking the pause in their attack to retaliate with Rabarta. It was an advanced ice Technique that blew ice all around her. All of the Hildebears who had jumped her froze solid. Their frozen carcasses still blocked her exit.

"Your wel…ugh!" Alicia said just as the Hildebear behind her struck her to the ground.

At the sound of Alicia in pain, the frozen Hildebears were instantly incinerated in a huge explosion of fire. The sphere of Mina's Rafoie was bigger, louder, and hotter than Chronos's. She ran out of the fire and, leaping over Alicia's fallen form, tackled the Hildebear, amazingly knocking it on its back.

"Take this!" she screamed angrily, as a faint purple aura surrounded her. Standing on the fallen ape, she fired her Soul Assaults at pointblank range in its chest and head area. Needless to say, it died quickly. Still unsatisfied, she dropped her weapons and charged purple energy into her hands, as her aura became stronger. A dark cloud moved out of her hands and reduced the carcass to ashes in a purple flame.

"Anyone else?!" she cried out to the forest in anger. There was only the sound of rain.

"Alicia, are you okay?" she asked worriedly, kneeling next to Alicia. "Say something."

"Cough That hurt," Alicia said wearily. Her hat had fallen off and her hair was matted across her face.

"Can you stand up?" Mina asked gently.

"It didn't hurt _that_ much," Alicia said, smiling a bit as she started to stand up. "Ouch!"

"What is it?" Mina asked, holding on to her.

"I'm pretty sure my rib is broken," Alicia said, wincing a little. "I'll be fine."

"This should help," Mina said, casting Resta to heal Alicia and her own bruises…

"Thank you. That feels better," Alicia said, feeling her side. "I have something to show you." Picking up her hat, she led Mina over to the baby Hildebear, which had not moved.

"Look at it," Alicia said. "It doesn't look like its parents are feeding it."

"And it looks like it got hurt too," Mina commented, noting its bruises.

"Aww, what hurt you, poor baby," Alicia said, petting it. "Its parents don't seem to be taking care of it. It probably won't survive such a harsh environment. In all my years, I've never seen such strange behavior in animals…" She paused for a moment, thinking to herself.

"So…What now?" Mina asked, trying to break the silence.

"Mina…tell me the truth," Alicia said nervously. "Do you think we should take the baby with us? Back to Pioneer 2?"

"Hmm…" Mina thought to herself. "Well…it's probably not such a good idea. For one thing, a lot of people would be angry with us for bringing it. Secondly, we don't have a place to put it. But, I can see why you would want to take it."

"No, it's okay," Alicia said wearily. "I shouldn't make decisions based on my one-sided sympathy…That's what I hated at the Lab."

"You didn't like having to hire hunters to do the Lab's dirty work," Mina clarified. "I can empathize with that… Wait a minute," she said as a thought just entered her mind. "'Hat-_ed_'? Are you quitting?"

"I already quit," Alicia said somewhat bitterly. "I don't like their secrecy. I will continue to study the animals of Ragol…without the Lab. I'm ending this quest," she said, using a Telepipe. "Let's go home."

"I see," Mina said solemnly, stepping into the Telepipe.

"You can collect your reward at the Guild," Alicia said as they stepped out of the Telepipe.

"Wait, before you leave, I have some things for you," Mina said. She ran to collect her money, and then ran to the shops. When she came out, she made a quick stop at the Check Room and came back to Alicia.

"If you plan on going to Ragol more often," Mina began, "you'll need these." She then began taking out various supply boxes.

"You don't have to do this," Alicia said modestly.

"First, I want you to sell off that useless Stick," Mina said. "This Pole is longer and more powerful. This Heart Handgun should help you attack from a distance and refill your ki. Here are some Barriers, Frames, and slot items to help you along. Oh, and some Technique discs! These should be useful!"

"Mina-chan…" Alicia said, her voice softening.

"One more thing," Mina said. "This is a Scape Doll. You can only use this once. If you ever…die prematurely, heaven-forbid, this doll will be destroyed instead of your life. Hopefully, you'll never have to use it."

"Thank you," Alicia said, hugging her little cousin. "I'll become stronger just like you. It's the only way for us to solve the mystery of Ragol."

_Notes:_ You didn't think that I would kill off anybody that quickly, did you? Maybe some throw away character, but not my masterpieces (or Sega's….yet). I hope I'm getting better at this action stuff. FYI, that "-chan" thing refers to a person's close friend. Have you noticed how the military don't like hunters?

_On the next (okay) episode of PSO Sidestory:_ Xero, formally known as Taft, has finally become a Hunter. That doesn't mean that he's any good. After some embarrassment, he gets some unexpected training. Forget those people from the beginning. This one's about Xero and his associates. And his associates' associates. An entire episode about him and his peeps, it's "Xero Story." Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer…Only Toonami!


	10. Xero Story

**Chapter X: Xero Story**

Another Disclaimer: Sega owns PSO and all of its NPCs and such. George Lucas owns any Star Wars paraphernalia you might have noticed such as the name Incom T-65. Square Enix owns Sephiroth. I (actually a friend) made up another Cloud though, so they don't own him. And Microsoft owns a certain commercial for Xbox. I think that covers everything for now.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" Cloud asked T-65. They were at the Hunter Training Center. It was the day that Taft would officially become a Hunter.

"Not much," T-65 said patiently. "Their gonna suit him up, give him his Guild Card, and give him a Mag. Then he'll be outta there."

"Man, how long is that gonna take?" Cloud asked impatiently.

"Give 'em 10 minutes," T-65 said, tired of his whining. "Besides, it's not like you got anything better to do."

"Fine!" Cloud said vehemently.

"Congratulations, Xero!" said a Guild staff member. "You are now a HUmar. And here is your Mag. Good hunting!"

"Thanks," said Xero, walking to the waiting room. He found his friends waiting for him in a corner.

"Hey, guys!" he called out to them.

"Taft?" T-65 asked, not recognizing this newcomer. The HUmar had his silver hair weaved in a ponytail. He wore a black outfit with red shoulder padding and was almost as tall as T-65 and a little taller than Cloud.

"Not anymore," he said mischievously. "Taft is dead. _I_ am Xero."

"Dude, cut the crap," Cloud said dryly.

"No, seriously," the HUmar said, showing them his Card. "Witness the rise of Xero."

"Why'd you spell it with an X?" T-65 asked.

"Because…X is one of the best letters," Xero said. "You know… it's tight."

"But that means your name should be pronounced _Exero,_" T-65 argued.

"Don't call me that," Xero said. "It's Xero."

"You know you're just ripping off Sephiroth with the black clothes and white hair," T-65 said.

"Dude, we have silver hair," Cloud corrected, brushing his hair back.

"And I'm not copying Sephiroth," Xero said. "Black just what works for me."

"Whatever," T-65 said indifferently. "You know you're just bein' a faker."

"I'm not a faker, dammit!" Xero screamed. "Just wait and see!"

"Damn, dude, calm down," Cloud said, holding back a chuckle.

"Anyway, you should find a quest to do before you go to Ragol by yourself," T-65 suggested.

"All right, then let's go," Xero insisted.

"Where exactly are we going?" Cloud asked.

"YOU aren't goin' anywhere," T-65 said. "Only registered hunters can go."

"Sorry, man," Xero mock-sympathized. "But you know how it goes."

"Man, how ya gonna be like that?" Cloud fumed.

"Okay X," T-65 said as they arrived at the Hunter's Guild near the Ragol transporter, "this is where we usually come for quests. Around here, they usually have to do with Ragol. You can find other Guilds around the city, though."

"So is this like a waiting room or somethin'?" Xero asked.

"Yeah, basically. The clients put in a quest and the reward. We come here, accept the quest, and wait for the client to see us."

"If this is a waiting room, how come there aren't any chairs?"

"Ya know what? I've never actually thought about that… Either way I don't really care. Just go to the Guild Girl and she'll give you some good quests." Xero followed his instructions, greeting the woman at the desk. The lady checked his registration and pulled out a list of suggested quests for him.

"How about this one?" Xero suggested. "Some lady wants 'her husband, Gizel, to stop wasting money on weapons.' It pays 300 Meseta."

"Only 300 Meseta?" T-65 mused. "…I guess that's a good start."

"It should suffice for such an easy quest," said Galactica, just now entering. "Although, I wouldn't recommend it for a hunter fresh out of training."

"You wanna bet?" Xero asked, not liking the condescension in her voice.

"I would find it hard to believe that you could wager even that amount," Galactica said coolly, using her best language.

"I'll take a piece of that bet," T-65 said. "Everyone puts down 300 Meseta. Whoever finishes the job gets the reward and wins the bet."

"I don't know," Xero said cautiously. "Why should I bet against _both_ of you? You've been hunters longer than me."

"I see that your friend has a brain, T-65," Galactica said, chuckling.

"Nah, he's just bein' chicken," T-65 said, also chuckling.

"Oh, yeah!" Xero yelled. "You're on!"

"So, who will go first?" Galactica asked.

"First" Xero yelled.

"First!" T-65 yelled just behind him. "Damn."

"I will go last, then," Galactica said indifferently. They then had the Guild Girl summon the client. She arrived within a few minutes.

"Who is my client," the middle-aged woman asked.

"Actually, ma'am," the Guild Girl said, pointing to Xero, T-65, and Galactica, "these three are accepting your quest."

"If one of us fails to complete the quest," Galactica explained, "then the next will make an attempt."

"Well I'm glad to hear that you three can understand my situation," the woman said desperately. "I don't think he knows the meaning of the word 'waste'. He could buy much better weapons earlier if he saved his money, right? He'll listen to you all since you're hunters. Convince him."

"You're up Exero," T-65 said. "Good luck."

"It's Xero," the HUmar said, about to leave.

"Wait a minute," he said, walking back to the woman. "Where is this guy?"

"My husband?" the woman asked. "He may be at the shop, browsing for weapons again."

"Okay," Xero said, taking his leave. He went to the shopping area and saw a man in a blue jacket and orange fleece pants looking at various weapons.

"Are you Gizel?" Xero asked, getting his attention.

"What?" Gizel said, turning around. "Who are you?"

"I'm doing something for your wife," Xero said as professionally as he could. "She says you're buying weapons too often."

"I'm buying weapons too often?" Gizel said, insulted. "Shut up."

"Hey!" Xero retorted.

"Expensive weapons are strong," Gizel explained. "With strong weapons, I can kill expensive monsters, and I can be rich. So it's smart of me to buy better weapons. Understand?" Xero thought for a moment.

"…Ya know, that actually makes sense," Xero agreed.

"Good, good," Gizel said approvingly. "This issue is just between my wife and me. Well, you can go now."

"_I guess that was easy enough,_" Xero thought to himself, walking back to the Guild. He then told the client what Gizel had said. Unfortunately, he did not expect her response.

"I can't believe it," she said, astonished. "He snubbed you?"

"He did?" Xero asked, confused.

"My goodness…" she continued. "What he's saying isn't wrong, but he's not being economical. Take a firm stand! OK?"

"That's it for you Exero," T-65 said, grinning. "You had one chance and you blew it…But don't sweat it; I'll show you how it's done."

"Shut up," Xero fumed. "He made some good points."

"In that case," Galactica said, "T-65 should come back with similar results." T-65 had by now found Gizel and was trying to convince him.

"Another one?" Gizel said. "About me buying weapons too often. Nonsense. Expensive weapons are strong weapons! Strong weapons kill expensive monsters to make me rich! So it's smart to buy better weapons. Understand?"

"Not quite," T-65 said, not falling into the trap that Xero had fallen into.

"Why don't ya understand?" Gizel asked, getting annoyed.

"Because it's not always true," T-65 said sure of himself. "Expensive weapons aren't always stronger."

"But listen," Gizel jumped in. "Even if its attack power isn't very high, it may still be good. For example, it may have a good hitting ratio or accuracy. The most important thing to get is a point for the price you pay. You can't convince me. That's it?"

"But…uh…well," T-65 stammered, trying to make up something.

"I'm not wrong," Gizel stated, returning to his browsing. "Bye now."

"_Dammit!_" T-65 cursed to himself. He had been truly snubbed by this man. His only hope was that Galactica couldn't convince this guy either. He returned to Gizel's wife to tell her what he had been told.

"Expensive weapons aren't always strong?" she confirmed. "I'm not talking about that. Buying weapons is fine, but he needs to be smart when he buys things."

"I'll take things from here, ma'am'," Galactica said walking off to Gizel.

"Not another one," Gizel said, now frustrated. "For the last time, expensive weapons let me kill expensive monsters so I can be rich! Understand?"

"Let me tell you something," Galactica said firmly. "You, sir, are a fool. You waste money by spending all the time. Have you ever tried standing by a weapon to see how good it really is? Or do you just go out and buy the newest one on the market?

"What?" Gizel asked, disillusioned. "Am I changing weapons too quickly, ignoring cost vs. performance? I…I can't rebut it. You're right…But…I…I can't stop buying weapons… Forgive me."

"_This may be harder than I thought,_" Galactica thought. "_It seems that his problem is a little deeper than we all thought_." Galactica then reported back to his wife.

"Did he finally understand?" she asked.

"Yes, however, his weapon problem seems to be a bit more serious than we previously suspected," Galactica said. The other two hunters started to see some hope of Galactica's failure.

"Now I know," the client said, having realized what was wrong. "He has a weapon-fetish. But we can't afford to waste money to keep him happy all the time. Tell him NO MORE SHOPPING!"

"Hey, T," Xero whispered. "What's a fetish?"

"…Ya know, it would make a whole lot more sense if I were the one asking you that question," T-65 said uncomfortably. "It's basically…" Meanwhile, Galactica relayed the news to Gizel.

"Weapon-fetish?!" he asked nervously. "Y…yes, I am!"

"The hardest part is admitting it," Galactica commented.

"Look at this luster!" Gizel said gleefully, showing her a new gun. "Beautiful…I love it. New weapons are so beautiful and shiny. I love buying them."

"Ahem…" Galactica said, trying to get his attention. "In the words of your wife, 'NO MORE SHOPPING!"

"What?" said the crestfallen man. "NO MORE SHOPPING? It's too cruel…"

"Talk to your wife about it," Galactica said, walking back to the Guild.

"It was my only…" Gizel mumbled.

"It's done," Galactica said to the client.

"Thank you," she said. "Was he really that disappointed? I'll allow him to buy weapons later. Good job. Please go receive your money at the Guild."

"It's time for you two to pay up," Galactica said to the silent T-65 and Xero.

"It's only 300 Meseta," T-65 muttered handing it over.

"I coulda' used that money," Xero said. "And I didn't get to fight anything."

"There's no reason why you can't ask again," Galactica said, counting the money. "…You still owe me 200 Meseta."

"You'll get it," Xero assured her. "As soon as I find another quest."

"Very well, then," Galactica said, leaving. "T-65, since he's your friend, I'm holding you responsible."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," T-65 muttered. "Rise of Exero my ass…"

"I've got it!" Xero exclaimed, looking through the list of quests. "This one wants me to 'find a missing hunter on Ragol' and bring him back."

"Go for it," T-65 shrugged. "I've got other stuff to do. Good luck, Exero."

"Don't call me that!" Xero growled.

"Del beats Sinow!" Taya cheered, laying an illustrated card near a different card. "I win!" Taya had visited Misha that day and they were playing a trading card game called Phantasy Monsters, nicknamed Phantamon. They had been playing for about an hour in Misha's room. Taya was wearing a blue and white blouse and denim skirt. Misha had a white T-shirt and brown pants.

"Nice comeback," Misha said, accepting her loss. "Where'd you get that series from? They're pretty rare."

"Anna and Kroe," Taya replied, grinning widely as she gathered her cards. "They let me have 'em for 3 of my Laconium cards. So, it was an even trade."

"You wanna see a movie?" Misha suggested. "I heard that they just released some from the archives."

"Sure," Taya agreed, getting up.

"Then, let's go!" Misha said, exiting the room. "There's this movie called _Asses of Fire_. It's supposed to be really funny."

"Isn't that rated R?" Taya asked cautiously.

"Yeah, so?"

"Shouldn't we ask your mom first? I don't think we can get in without a grown-up."

"Fine," Misha sighed. It wasn't her style to ask permission for things. Dealing with her mother was never very difficult, though. She led Taya out of the room and to the kitchen, where her mother usually was at that time. They found her reading a cookbook at the table, while a pot was boiling over. She was still trying to cook a decent meal. She had the same blonde hair as Misha, except that it was wavier and tied in the back with a blue ribbon. She was wearing a pink sweater and tan khakis. She was a little over 5 ½ feet tall, taller than the average newman.

"Hi, Mrs. Kuhra," Taya greeted to get her attention.

"Huh…Oh, hi, girls!" she said, snapping out of her tedious reading. "Um…lunch isn't ready yet…"

"We didn't come about that," Misha said, getting to the point. "Could we go see this movie?"

"What's it called?" her mother asked enthusiastically. Taya began to giggle at what the answer would be.

"Um…_Asses of Fire_," Misha said as innocently as she could. Taya couldn't hold it in and started to laugh, while Mrs. Kuhra blushed.

"I think you're a little too young to see a movie like that," her mother smiled, putting down the book with a giggle. Misha was expecting this sort of response, so she had something ready.

"I'll give you this lollipop," Misha smiled, revealing a red candy.

"Where do you get these from?" her mother asked, unconsciously licking her lips. "You're not supposed to have those." Sweets were strictly rationed on Pioneer 2 because of their addictive and unhealthy nature. However, this law would have been lifted after Pioneer 2 landed on Ragol. Obviously, that hadn't happened yet so the law was still in effect. Not that it was easily enforced.

"It's strawberry-flavored…" Misha said in a singsong voice, waving it in the air "Okay, okay!" her mother relented, taking the lollipop. "You can see the movie. It's probably about donkeys that live in volcanoes anyway. Why else would it have a title like that?"

"We still need someone to go with us," Taya said, entertained by the exchange. "Mom, I'm going to see a movie!" Misha's big sister, Daniela, called out. This was the perfect opportunity.

"Take Misha and Taya with you," her mother said, licking the candy. "Mom!" Daniela objected, stomping into the kitchen. "I'm going on a blind date!" Daniela had red-orange hair that was long enough to cover part of the left side of her face. She wasn't as tall as her mother. She wore a tan vest over a white, sleeveless shirt that ended just above her navel. She also had puffy, white harem pants.

"It won't be any trouble at all," her mother said, not paying whole lot of attention. "You don't have to baby-sit them."

"She bribed you again, didn't she?" Daniela asked dryly, eyeing Misha. "I'll take them as long as they don't say anything."

"What's his name?" Taya asked, trying to ease the tension.

"Not that it's any of your business," Daniela answered more calmly, "but his name is Cloud."

"Please don't let it be who I think it is," Misha prayed.

"It's probably him," Taya said, still smiling nervously.

Meanwhile, Xero's client, Zidd, had finally arrived. Apparently, Zidd sent a rookie Hunter named Ash out to do some research on Ragol. When he didn't come back, Zidd went to the Hunter's Guild for help.

"So I want you to rescue him," Zidd said, prompting Xero to get started. "Not by yourself," he said, stopping the HUmar.

"_As long as it isn't an escort,_" Xero thought. He didn't like escort missions. Not in videogames and not in real life.

"Please go with that hunter over there," Zidd said, pointing to a very tall, purple Android standing by the door. "First of all, can you bring him over here?"

"Uh…hey," Xero waved nervously, after walking to the hunter. He was the tallest person that Xero had ever seen and one of the most intimidating. Most of his metal plating was purple, with some silver here and there. The bodysuit material that was uncovered by metal was black and showed fit muscles. On his forehead were three glowing dots in a triangular pattern. The Android also had narrow, yellow, glowing eyes that brightened and dimmed with his emotion. Besides his eyes, he didn't have a face at all.

"Are you Xero?" he responded in his low but unthreatening voice. "It's the first time I had a partner."

"Same here," Xero said nervously. The Android didn't act very threatening. His appearance, however, was still very much intimidating.

"Zidd asked me to do this job first," the purple being stated matter-of-factly. "Unexpectedly, he told me I'd have to work with someone else. I had to say YES as he is my client." Both then walked back over to Zidd, who was going to explain why he wanted two hunters.

"Xero, he's Kireek, your partner for this quest," Zidd explained. "He is a HUcast. He's a pro. Perhaps you can learn a lot from him." He then turned to Kireek.

"Kireek, I know you are unhappy," Zidd apologized, "but I need two hunters for this. One has to retrieve the data disk that I asked Ash to get. The other is to help Ash return if he is injured. This is my personal agenda. It has nothing to do with business. Ash is my cousin. I don't want to lose him. Please understand."

"…I have no choice," Kireek shrugged. "Come, Xero." The two hunters then made their way to Ragol via transporter.

They appeared in a clearing behind a laser gate. It prevented animals from being able to move too freely. Xero only had a green Saber, the weakest kind, and a simple purple Mag. Kireek, who did not have a Mag, had a large, purple scythe.

"Here come the wild animals of Ragol," Kireek warned, as they neared the fence. "Don't let them surround you!"

"Okay…" Xero said, nervously. It was his first time doing a job like this. He didn't want to mess up in front of a _pro_. He gathered his courage and ran through the gate toward the nearest of three Boomas.

With his Saber, he took a mighty swing at the beast…and missed completely. Lucky for him, the Booma had been facing the other direction with its back to him. Xero then decided to make a better-aimed attack. He slashed the beast twice, burning its flesh.

"Yeah! How ya like that!?" Xero shouted at the animal. It was now facing him and about to swing its paw, when Xero slashed at it again. The Booma flinched and before Xero could make another attack, it struck him across the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Son of a…!" Xero started, in pain. Then, with a slice from Kireek's blade, the creature was split in two, spilling innards all over the ground. Xero got to his feet before the juices touched him. He took a quick Monomate and ran towards the remaining Boomas. The element of surprise was gone, so he thought it wise to rush them.

"Aaaahhh!" he cried, as he took another big swing, hoping to hit both of them. Instead, his photon blade missed again, merely singing their fur. They struck him to the floor before he could let out a curse. While he was on the ground, he attempted to sweep their legs with his weapon. He only caught one leg, noting that he only heard a single snarl. He rolled away, and got up.

"Ha!" he yelled, lunging at one Booma. The blow knocked it away, but left him vulnerable to the adjacent Booma. Kireek effortlessly cut its torso off before it could do anything. Xero was able to get in one more attack on the remaining Booma before Kireek finished it off.

"How…?" Xero was about to ask before three Savage Wolves leaped out from behind them. Knowing that Kireek would decimate everything, Xero got in a quick attack on the nearest wolf before Kireek cut it in half. It was quite obvious that Xero would be lucky if he killed anything at all with Kireek around. Fortunately for him, the Android didn't stray very far from Xero. The HUmar was fast enough to make a quick attack on each wolf before Kireek destroyed them.

"Be careful," the HUcast said, looking around. "Even if you defeat one group, another one may be hiding near you. Watch the radar. Prepare for battle so you don't get surrounded."

"Wait a minute, what radar?" Xero asked, looking confused.

"It's on your ISL," Kireek said pointing to Xero's left arm.

"A what?" Xero questioned.

"Inventory Status Link," Kireek explained. "It also has a map of the area you're in along with other information that you might need to know. Didn't they teach you anything in training?"

"…No," Xero lied, fiddling with the device on his arm. Among other things, it showed his stats, his Mag's stats, his items, his weapons, and even his experience level. He hadn't been paying full attention to his training instructors. Kireek was obviously giving him a crash course battle training.

"That's the door switch," Kireek said, pointing to the purple glowing object. "In some areas, you must defeat all the enemies to unlock the door. Perhaps it's a security reason… Other doors can be unlocked through switches."

"What about these boxes?" Xero said, pointing his Saber at the blue metal cubes.

"Those may or may not hold some useful items," Kireek responded. "It's a good idea to look through them to save your Meseta. Personally, I don't bother with them."

"Looks good to me," Xero said, picking up Monomates and Meseta. Afterwards, they opened the purple gate with the corresponding switch and continued their search.

Daniela opted to take the girls in the hover-car. She would have dropped them off before going on her date, but she would've risked being late for her date. To her, first impressions were the most important. She left Taya and Misha in the vehicle while she went to pick up her date.

"Just because it's his building doesn't mean it's who I think it is," Misha assured herself.

"It's probably him," Taya said, looking out the window.

"You're not helping," Misha said with annoyance. "I can't stand Cloud! He's just so…so…him!"

"Nimbus isn't that bad," Taya said, smiling again.

"You're just saying that to be nice," Misha replied. "And because the bum visits you and your brother almost everyday.

"So do you," Taya pointed out. "And I liked you before you started visiting."

"…Good point," Misha relented, slumping into the seat. "How do you do it, Taya?"

"Do what?" Taya asked obliviously.

"Be so nice to everyone," Misha said. "Even the jerks. "

"…I don't know," Taya responded after thinking for a second. "I guess it's just my nature."

"Wish I could do that," Misha commented.

"Well, they're coming out," Taya said, looking out the window. "It's Nimbus."

"Awww…" Misha said, burying her face into the seat and latching onto Taya.

"It'll only be a few minutes," Taya said, patting her friends back. Daniela led Cloud back to her hover-car, deciding not to tell him about the guests. Cloud was wearing a black, buttoned shirt and baggy jeans.

"Nice car," Cloud complimented, noting the recent wax job on the vehicle.

"Uh…Cloud, there's something I should tell you," Daniela said nervously, getting her keys.

"Sure, what's up?" Cloud asked obliviously.

"This is so funny!" she nervously forced a laugh. "You see, I have to drop off a couple of people, so they'll be with us until I drop them off at the theater. It's just my little sister and her friend.

"Okay," Cloud said, still oblivious. Daniela unlocked the doors and got in, hoping that the girls wouldn't screw things up. Cloud got in the car not suspecting anything. Then he made the mistake of looking in the backseat to see the guests.

"What are you two doing here?!" he exclaimed.

"Trust me," Misha said, flipping him a one-fingered salute. "It's no joyride for me either."

"Hi, Nimbus," Taya waved, smiling while putting Misha's finger away. "Daniela is Misha's sister."

"Don't tell me you all know each other?" Daniela groaned.

"Unfortunately, yes," Misha said begrudgingly. "Taya is related to Cloud, somehow."

"Just sit tight and don't say anything," Daniela ordered, starting the car. "You two aren't going to screw this up for me."

"Speaking of screwing…" Misha began teasingly.

"We'll be good," Taya assured, covering Misha's mouth. The craft lifted off and zoomed toward its destination. During the flight, no one had spoken a word, leaving tension in the air.

"_The brat's probably thinking of a plan to ruin my date,_" Cloud thought to himself, scowling at Misha's reflection in the door mirror. When she noticed him looking at her, she stuck her tongue out and looked in the other direction.

"_Goddamn I hate you, Cloud…I hate you so very much_," Misha thought. "_I'd better not end up being related to you. Otherwise, I'll have to kill myself._"

"_They better not screw this up,_" Daniela thought. "_All the candy in the universe wouldn't save her from me._"

"_Why is everybody so mean to each other?_" Taya thought. "_Why can't everyone just be friends?"_

"Hey, Misha," Taya said, breaking the silence. "Do you know the muffin man?"

"Aw hell," Cloud whispered to himself. They were going to sneak in a nursery rhyme without actually singing it.

"The muffin man?" Misha asked.

"The muffin man!" Taya said, winking.

"Do I know the muffin man?" Misha pretended to think. "That lives on Cherry Lane?"

"We're here!" Daniela slammed on the breaks. "Everybody out." They all got out and entered the box office to buy tickets.

"Cloud, could you buy our tickets?" Daniela asked. "I need to pay for them. They're trying to see some movie called _Asses of Fire_."

"That one's funny as hell," Cloud said, getting an odd look from Daniela.

"Maybe we should see another movie," Misha whispered to Taya. "If he likes it, it's probably crap."

"Three for _Asses of Fire_," Daniela said casually to the android clerk.

"Ma'am, you do realize this is an R-rated movie, right?" she asked the Newman. "That means it's may be full of violence, sexuality, harsh language, and other adult content that wouldn't be suitable for children. I'm going to need some identification."

"I'm nine years old," Daniela said, showing her ID. "I'll be the accompanying adult."

"The little ones seem to be a bit young for this movie," the clerk advised. "This movie includes adult content that may not be…"

"Just give me the tickets," Daniela interrupted, putting down her Meseta."

Meanwhile, Cloud had been standing in another line when he noticed someone familiar standing in front of him.

"Hey, T-65," he called, getting the RAcast's attention. "What's up, dude?"

"Oh…uh…hi, Cloud," T-65 said a little nervously. "Just…checkin' out a movie."

"Well, I'm here on a date," Cloud said triumphantly, ignoring Misha's audible grumbling. "What're you tryin' to see?"

"Um…_Alisa III_," T-65 said nervously.

"Same one I'm seein'," Cloud laughed, noticing the coincidence.

Then he added in a whisper, "'Cept I'm only watchin' it for the date. You know…with it bein' a chick-flick and all. What's your excuse?"

"It…looks interesting," T-65 said, thinking about how little truth there was to his statement. The whole truth was that he had only agreed to the movie at the suggestion of the pink RAcaseal in front of him. But he wasn't about to let Cloud know that.

"Hunh," Cloud exhaled lightly, giving him an odd look. "I didn't know you were into that type a stuff. I guess that it won't be so bad then. As long as it isn't too sappy."

Back on Ragol, Kireek had just finished teaching Xero how to attack enemies more accurately. Just in time, too. Xero had missed quite a few enemies that day and was starting to become a liability to the HUcast.

"Did you learn the trick?" the Android asked, having watched Xero make practice swings. "Two easy attacks then a heavy attack as a finishing blow. This is one example"

"Swipe, thrust, slash," Xero said, performing the attacks. "Alright, let's go." They went into the next area, which was also the largest. Boomas made their presence known and began their approach. Xero made the first attack with his new stance, hitting one Booma with the three attacks he had just practiced. Blocking the Booma's retaliating swipe, Xero hacked at it with another set of attacks, killing it. Then, he got in some quick attacks on the other Boomas before Kireek killed them in one swing. When a couple of Rag Rappies fell onto the scene, Xero used the combo to put one down.

"_This is pretty messed up,_" he noted, seeing Kireek chop off the other bird's antennae. When a Monest landed, Xero only bothered to attack it once. Then he concentrated on the Mothmants that came out and into his range. Even though, they couldn't do much damage, the bugs were very annoying. Kireek managed to kill three of them in one swing, along with cutting the stalks from under the Monest. After it fell, both Hunters swung at it to finish it off. Xero had improved quite a bit.

After looking through some supply boxes, Xero found several disks. They weren't data disks.

"What are these?" he asked, holding them up to Kireek.

"Those are Technique disks," Kireek answered. "They are used to learn Techniques. When you cast a Technique, it uses up TP but it rarely misses."

"What's TP?" Xero asked, not remembering from his lessons. "Toilet paper?"

"…Technique Points," Kireek said, wondering whether he was talking to a real hunter or not. "An approximation of your TP is shown on your ISL…on your shield arm."

"And HP stands for Hit Points?" Xero asked, looking at his stats.

"Actually, it stands for Health Points," Kireek corrected.

"Same difference," Xero said. "…How come you didn't use any Techniques?"

"Unfortunately, androids can't use Techniques," Kireek said, looking down. "I envy those who can."

"So, do I just study these Techniques in my spare time or something?" Xero asked, clueless.

"Put it in your ISL and download it," Kireek said, becoming weary of the HUmar. "If you have the right requirements, you should be able to use the Technique." Xero was only successful in downloading the disk with Barta. He needed more mind power for the others.

They went through another gate. The area only had more supply boxes and scattered Meseta. Xero went straight for them, not suspecting a thing. Kireek knew better, though. As Xero was bending to pick up an item, a wolf leaped in front of him. Four wolves surrounded the Hunters.

"Don't let them get behind you!" Kireek warned. Xero was busy trying slash at the wolf in front of him. It moved to his side, trying to flank him. It was decapitated by Kireek.

"Dammit!" Xero cursed. "…I wonder what Barta does?" He aimed at another wolf and sent the gust of cold air towards it. The wolf also moved out of the way, just like the other one.

"Dammit!" Xero cursed again. Kireek had already killed the other two wolves. Xero wanted to at least land a hit on this one. Since it kept trying to get behind him, he about-faced and did a blind attack. After hearing the sizzle of flesh, he carried out the rest of the attack. Slowing the hound to a halt, he unleashed more attacks, finally killing it. As soon as it keeled over, a Gobooma shot up in front of him.

"Holy shit!" Xero exclaimed, jumping back from its snarling face.

"Don't panic!" Kireek said, cutting into two other Goboomas. Surprisingly, they didn't die right away, even after having very large gashes across their bodies. They got close enough to attack Kireek, even though he blocked all of their attacks.

"You must be losin' it," Xero joked, finishing them off with one strike each. The monster he had originally faced was moving in on him from behind. Then he did something unexpected. He kneeled to the ground, twirled his Saber backwards, and stabbed behind himself. It went straight into the abdomen of the monster. Kireek caught on and swung his weapon just over Xero's head, and through the vanilla colored mammal.

"That was clever," Kireek complimented. "You aren't such a newbie after all."

"Hmph!" Xero grunted and thought to himself, "_At least I can use Techniques._"

They entered the last room and the first thing they saw was a young man lying on the ground near his activated Saber. He had brown hair and an orange, yellow, and black suit. He was a HUmar. It was Ash. He was pretty scratched up.

"Wh…who is it?!" Ash painfully spoke. "I don't know who you guys are, but be careful… They're…still hiding around here."

"Who's hiding?" Xero asked. Ash was unable to respond, going unconscious. Then both Xero and Kireek heard a noise up ahead at a dead end.

"I can hear something," Kireek said, his eyes narrowing. "A growl?" Both cautiously walked in battle stance toward the deep puddle of water ahead. Then they noticed something in the water. It was the disk.

"_It's quiet…too quiet,_" Xero thought. "_This is too easy._" He then walked toward the disk as if he were going to pick it up. When he got within a few inches, three Barbarous Wolves sprang out from all sides. He immediately knelt and swept their feet with his Saber. The yelping animals jumped back, giving Xero breathing space. Putting the Saber in water also emitted a bit of steam, making Kireek unsure of whether or not to attack, for fear of hitting Xero. Xero then struck each of the Wolves and ducked out of the steam and behind Kireek.

"They're all yours," Xero said, motioning Kireek into the dissipating steam. Kireek made a low swing into the fog. The dying roar of Wolves and the red color spreading through the puddle confirmed their demise. Xero then picked up the disk. Kireek walked back to Ash and sprayed him with a Moon Atomizer. Surrounded by stinging, yet revitalizing mist, Ash was able to painfully get to his feet. Xero walked back to see if the HUmar was okay.

"Thank you," Ash said, breathing a bit roughly.

"It's okay," Xero stated. "Thank Zidd."

"Wha? Zidd?" Ash said with annoyance. "Now I know why you guys are here… He always treats me like a kid… I completed the quest, but suddenly, they attacked me here. Monsters appeared and I dropped the disk. I couldn't do anything."

"Well, you're okay now," Xero said, trying to sound professional.

"How vexing!" Ash said, still annoyed. "I appreciate that you guys came to save me but I…"

"I'll take this boy with me," Kireek said to Xero. "You deliver the disk to the client. Then, we can finish this job…. Xero…train yourself."

"Oh, I will," Xero assured.

"Become much stronger to impress me," Kireek said a little condescendingly. Then he began to laugh lightheartedly, which made Xero a little uneasy. But at least he knew that Kireek was an okay guy. Kireek took Ash through a Telepipe. After searching the area for any more treasure, Xero went through the Telepipe and headed for the Hunter's Guild. Inside were Ash and Zidd.

"Kireek left already after receiving the Meseta," Zidd said a little nervously. "Phew… I have never seen such an intimidating android. It was like that android was built for battle."

"I know what ya mean," Xero said, handing him the disk.

"Thanks," Zidd said with a nod. "Ash is enduring the pain, since he won't go see a doctor. You can get your reward at the Hunter's Guild."

"Thank you," Ash said. "I'll keep practicing."

"You do that," Xero said, getting his Meseta. He had completed his first quest. It wouldn't be his last, as he decided to look for more quests that day.

Meanwhile, Misha and Taya had gotten into their movie. There was a reason why the clerk had warned Daniela about the content. It was more than anyone had expected. So far, the two main characters were singing a song about which one…well, you'll see.

"Shut your fucking face, uncle fucka! You're a cock-sucking, ass-licking uncle fucka! You're an uncle fucka, yes its true. Nobody fucks uncles quite like you."

"Shut your fucking face uncle fucka! You're the one that fucked your uncle, uncle fucka! You don't eat or sleep or mow the lawn, you just fuck your uncle all day long." Then the two characters began farting and laughing hysterically while continuing the song.

The girls sat wide-eyed with mouths agape. They were speechless. Some of the audience reacted similarly. Some left the theater. Others laughed their heads off.

Things were going a bit better in the movie, _Alisa III_. It was basically a historical drama about one of many doomed ships that escaped Palma just before the planet was destroyed. The massive "worldship" was so big, that comparatively, Pioneer 2 would be insignificant.

"Sir!" said a member of the crew in the control room. "We're getting distress signals from the other ships."

"What is it?" the captain barked.

"…Oh no!" the crewman exclaimed. "A Dark Force is attacking them one by one. It stowed away on one of the ships! It's already destroyed 56 out of 400 ships, sir"

"How is that possible?" the captain wondered aloud. "Set a course out of the system at once!"

"Sir?" the navigator asked, surprised. "What about Mota and Dezo?"

"This ship will last in deep space long enough for us to find a new home," the captain explained. "Perhaps we will return to Algo someday…" Then the entire ship shook.

"It's on board!" one crewman cried.

"Try to contain it!" the captain ordered. "If it's going to destroy us too, we'll make sure that it doesn't stay in Algo!"

"_Sucks to be them,_" Daniel thought as she watched the movie. Even though she knew the movie would end up being a tragedy, she couldn't help but find the story a bit sappy. Then again, she didn't pick this movie. Cloud thought that she would like this "chick-flick," so he suggested it. Cloud's reaction to the movie was unexpected to both himself and Daniela.

"Cloud?" Daniela whispered to his tear-stained face. "Are you…crying?"

"No," he sniffled. "I…I just got something in my eye. That's all… Just something in my eye…"

"Are you sure?" Daniela asked, resisting the urge to laugh. She knew that he was lying.

"I'm fine," he choked, wiping tears off his face. While Daniela was amused at this, she was also impressed by his sensitivity. Perhaps the date hadn't been ruined after all.

_Notes:_ This was pretty much a long joke. But it's a joke that affects the story! We've got a new hunter who has some potential. And we've also got some light romance that probably won't affect the story in any meaningful way. What's the point you ask? I've gotta throw them a bone, okay? Also notice that the rating had to go up because of potty language. It beats censoring myself or getting this story removed.

_On the next (good) episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ It's still the same leisurely day. They're out of the theater and off somewhere else. Misha and Taya try to repress what they saw, T-65 has "the talk" (from a person that should be in every chapter dammit), and Xero learns that it's a good idea to use the buddy system, all in "Life's a Killer." Don't forget to wear clean underwear… For the power of undergarments, there's no power greater than X.


	11. Life's a Killer

Chapter 11: Life's a Killer 

"I don't think we should've seen that," Taya said vacantly as she and Misha walked out of the theater.

"If Cloud liked it, we shouldn't have seen it," Misha said just as blankly. "If that's what adults like, then I don't want to grow up."

"What should we do now?" Taya asked.

"…The skate park?" Misha suggested.

"OK," Taya agreed.

"And Taya; let us never speak of that movie again."

"That…sucked," Xero groaned after getting ambushed by Wolves and Boomas. He had been in the Forest 2 doing a very mundane quest. He was supposed to collect raindrops from the seemingly perpetual rain. When the animals attacked, he dropped the test tube that collected the rain.

"That was close," Xero said, taking a Monomate after killing the last wolf. Too bad for him that a legion of animals showed up. All three types of Booma were there along with Wolves of both types and a Monest.

"Oh, come on!" Xero complained, getting into stance. He used Barta to slow down the approaching Boomas, but he couldn't focus on the buzzing Mothmants and stalking Wolves. Soon, one insect flew at his face. While he took a swing at it, a Barbarous Wolf snuck up from behind and pounced on him.

"Ah!" he shouted. He shook it off only to be pounced by another wolf. The Mothmants were starting to attack too. Xero smacked the wolf in the snout with his Saber to get it off. Then, he turned around to knock away another leaping wolf. After destroying some of the Mothmants, he made a run for the nearest gate. He couldn't get there with so many Boomas in front of him. Wolves were running after him from behind.

"Screw it!" he yelled, making wild slashes at the Boomas in front of him. One Gobooma was burned so badly from the Photon blade that it melted into the ground. Despite his best efforts, the animals were overwhelming him. His muscles were aching. The bites and clawing that he was sustaining were wearing him down. Soon, the device on his shield arm was beeping, warning him that his HP was getting dangerously low.

"Die, dammit!" he screamed, his excessive hacking causing more animals to melt into the ground. As another wolf melted into the ground, the device made a more positive sound. All of his strength had returned. Xero took it in stride, continuing to hack away at his enemies. At this point the only remaining threats were, 2 Savage Wolves, 1 limping Booma, 1 Gobooma, 2 Gigoboomas, and the Monest. The Monest had apparently run out of Mothmants and was completely defenseless. The HUmar tried to isolate each animal to make them easier to kill. After a few minutes of hit-and-runs, only the Monest remained. The moment he struck it, three Hildebears and 5 Gigoboomas came onto the scene.

"Bull!" Xero exclaimed. It seemed like everything in the Forest was…trying to kill him. This was his first time encountering Hildebears, although he had heard about them from T-65. What he heard was to avoid fighting them up close. Unfortunately, Xero didn't have a gun. But he did have Barta, so he used that to keep them at bay. That didn't work very long, as one Hildebear spat a fireball at him. He was forced to retreat when the others followed suit, occasionally hitting a Gigobooma. Then, one Hildebear leaped to the spot where Xero had just been. Xero responded by turning around and carrying out his combo onto the torso of the Hildebear. It seemed to work until it retaliated on his third slash.

"Ah!" he yelled, getting smacked to the ground. When he got up, a Gigobooma smacked him back down, putting a cut across his face. Now he was really hurting. Xero knew that something in his body was broken. He couldn't tell what because, frankly, he hurt all over. He knew that if he didn't get up, he would die. He glanced at the health monitor on his arm and saw that he was out of HP. That made sense, as he could barely move and he was starting to black out. He had enough energy to roll out of the way of the Hildebear's punches, however. When the Gigoboomas and other Hildebears started to surround him, he knew that there was nothing he could do.

Then, several gunshots could be heard. All three Hildebears immediately fell over with burning holes going through their heads. The Gigoboomas turned their attention away from Xero and towards the unseen threat. They were soon picked off as well. The Monest that remained had regained its energy and began spewing out its servants to seek out the attacker.

"Move in!" Xero heard a somewhat gravelly voice say. "Take care of the bugs!"

"Got ya covered, Seth!" yelled a female voice. Then more shots were fired.

"You want me to take care of this guy?" asked another voice, this one male.

"…No, he'll just get in the way," the first voice answered. "We'll get to him after this area is clear. Give Gun Snipe a hand." After this last statement, all Xero could hear were the sounds of a few gunshots, a zapping noise, and a single, but very distinct chopping sound. The Monest was obviously dead now, as the only sounds to be heard were light footsteps in the rain.

Then out of his half-opened eyes, Xero saw a man stand over him. His hair was similar to Xero's in color, but was in a more natural style. It just hung there, not quite reaching his shoulders. His hair was all that Xero could really see clearly. Xero's sight quickly faded, but he could still make out a little sound.

"He's got a Saber," said the female. "And take a look at all of these empty blood pools…tsk, tsk. Looks like he's not very good with it. He's a rookie." She was noting the spots where Xero had made some animals melt into the ground.

"He'd be better off at the ship…for now," the gravelly voiced man said. Then, Xero went completely unconscious.

The movie, _Alisa III_, ended with two former enemies, Orakio and Laya, joining forces to seal away the Dark Force on the ship. It was a bittersweet ending as not only did they die in the process, but also their families and descendants sparked a civil war against each other onboard the worldship. Of course, Cloud left in tears with Daniela trying to give him some comfort.

"What a sad story," Elenor said to T-65 as they left the theater. "It was certainly one of the darker moments in the history of Algol."

"Yep," T-65 agreed. "But don't you think that ship was huge? And Dark Force supposedly destroyed a whole bunch of other ships just like it."

"Yes, it was amazing," Elenor replied. "I wonder why the Pioneer ships were not built to be even ¼ the size?"

"They're probably still building them," T-65 joked. "It would probably take a while to make one."

"I want to thank you for treating me to a movie," Elenor smiled as they reached the entrance to the multiplex. "I have to go now. I don't want anyone to become too worried about me. Goodbye, T-65."

"See ya later, Elenor," T-65 said, watching her call a taxi. He didn't notice the person who had been waiting for him just outside of the multiplex's main entrance.

"Hello, T-65," Mina said, walking up from behind. She had her hair down just like she always had it in civilian areas. She was wearing a purple blouse and violet pants. She had a mischievous look on her face.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" T-65 asked, turning around quickly.

"Oh, nothing much," she answered innocently. "Just came here to see a movie. When I left, I noticed that you were in line."

"Uh…yeah," T-65 confirmed. "I just came here with a friend."

"What movie did you see?" Mina interrogated, still with that sneaky look on her face.

"…_Alisa III_," T-65 answered cautiously.

"Mmm hmm, and was that your friend's idea?" she asked, knowing that the RAcast wouldn't go to such a movie on his own.

"Yeah…so?" T-65 said, starting to perspire.

"Tell me, did she cry during the movie?" Mina asked, stepping closer. "It's only natural for such a sad movie."

"Yeah."

"It was Montague's Android, wasn't it?" Mina asked knowingly.

"How did you know?" T-65 asked, astonished.

"Because there are only five androids on this ship that can do something like that," Mina explained. "And only one out the five is pink."

"So, that's Elenor, GA…" T-65 thought out loud. "Who're the other two?"

"…You don't know them," Mina said, smiling. Then she cast Ryuker to open a portal similar to a Telepipe, frightening many people around them.

"What's that for?" T-65 asked.

"It's our ride home," Mina answered.

"_Why didn't she do that back when we met Chronos and the others?_" T-65 asked himself. "_…And why didn't he do it either?_"

"'So, tell me more about Elenor," Mina said, pulling T-65 into the portal.

Misha and Taya had arrived at the recreational area and had brought their skates along with them. The recreational area had many forms of entertainment, one of them being a skate park. At the moment they were in an arcade watching a certain pair of androids play a virtual fighting game.

"The purple lady is fast!" Taya commented, marveling at her dodging abilities.

"Yeah, but the blue guy is strong," Misha said, noting that his sword was pretty big. And when he did land a hit, it did a lot of damage. But the purple android was getting in longer combos with her knives. The match would be close. After the purple one finished another combo, both players used their special attacks. His sword became electrified and shot lightning everywhere while she started throwing dozens of knives. They killed each other, tying the game.

"Hey, Anne," Miguel said, taking off the cables linking him to the game. "I don't think we're ever going to beat each other at this game. This is the 5th time we've tied."

"How about we just go to the dance club?" Anne suggested. "Those kids have been watching us for a while."

"They just like the show we put on," Miguel assured. "Your blinding speed against my BONE-CRUSHING POWER!"

"You're too much," Anne laughed, as they went to an elevator. Misha and Taya quickly joined them. The skate park was near the top of the building.

"Are you stalking us or something?" Miguel asked them, pressing a button. "No, we're here to skate," Misha said, pointing out their roller blades. "The skate park's at the top. We walked all the way here and we're not taking the stairs there."

"You two were cool!" Taya said, pressing another button.

"Uh…thanks," Anne said. "Looks like they did like our show."

"I told you," Miguel said, flexing. "BONE-CRUSHING POWER!"

"You're funny," Taya laughed.

"And probably shorted out," Misha mumbled, getting a giggle out of Anne.

"I like your style, kid," Anne said, smirking. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"Misha Kuhra," the Newman replied. "This is my friend, Taya."

"Well, Taya, it's nice to see someone who has a good sense of humor," Miguel said approvingly.

"I'm Anne Yusta," the HUcaseal said, giving Misha her Guild Card.

"And I'm Miguel Azure," the HUcast said, giving Taya his Guild Card.

"You two are hunters?" Misha asked, looking at the cards. "How strong are you? What's it like on Ragol? Why won't anyone say anything about what's going on? Where's Pioneer 1?"

"Whoa, slow down!" Miguel said, waving his hands.

"They don't let us say much about Ragol," Anne explained, as they arrived on Miguel's and her floor. "You'd find some answers if you were hunters. Anyway, maybe we'll see you later." Miguel waved bye as well.

"Bye, bye Miguel, Kunoichi," Taya said. They looked back, confused.

"Sorry, she does that," Misha said as the door closed.

"Why Kunoichi?" she asked Taya.

"The Female Ninja," Taya said, going into a mock-ninja stance.

When they arrived on their floor they put on their roller blades. After skating in circles got boring, they went to the freestyle area. Once there they found something unexpected.

"Isn't that Miss Galactica?" Taya said, pointing to a black and orange RAcaseal.

"Yeah," Misha replied. The android was skating through half-pipes and grinding on rails effortlessly. The Newmans skated over to greet her.

"Hi, Miss Galactica," Taya said. Galactica slid backwards in circles around the two until she came to a stop.

"Hello, Taya, Misha," she greeted back. "This isn't school. There's no need to be so formal."

"What're you doing here?" Misha asked. "And how'd you learn to skate so well?"

"I just skate to relax," Galactica replied. "I've been doing it ever since I was built."

"I never would've thought that a teacher would like something like this," Misha said.

"Just because I'm a teacher," Galactica smiled, "doesn't mean that I can't have a little fun. Besides, I'm not much older than you."

"Can you teach us how to do some of those tricks?" Taya asked.

"I would, but many of them involve the risk of injury," Galactica said, starting to skate around them. "And you don't have any protective gear."

"Come on," Misha urged.

"I don't know," the android said, unsure.

"Please," Taya begged.

"Some other time," Galactica said. "Just be sure to bring a helmet or something."

"Come on, Taya," Misha said, turning around. "She probably can't teach us anything anyway."

"Huh?" Taya asked, confused by Misha's suddenness.

"Reverse-psychology won't work on me," Galactica said, stopping in front of Misha. "But I will show you what I can do. Follow me." She led them to a virtual machine. It had fantasy courses for experts to try out. Most of the courses had bizarre obstacles and challenges that required quick thinking. Galactica set it to roller blade courses and selected an advanced course called _Highway in the Sky_. The title was an understatement, as the preview images showed that this would mostly be about grinding on a series of railings through space, in a planet's outer atmosphere, directly underneath some sort of space station.

"That one's scary," Taya said, having prematurely tried that course before. She had fallen off the railing and plummeted toward the planet. Fortunately for her, it was only a game.

"I've never seen anyone beat this," Misha said, remembering countless failures by her and others.

"It's not an easy course," Galactica said confidently, putting on the virtual link cables. "However, it's not too hard either, just long. The most important thing is balance." Then she activated the machine, starting the game. The Newmans then turned their attention to the screen.

The level started with Galactica clutching to a miniature rocket as it flew some distance across space until it exploded. Galactica landed on neon colored rail with her feet side-by-side. She grinded along the rail and through several rings with sparks shooting away from her feet. All the while, she was quickly approaching the end of the rail. The on looking Newmans were not expecting her to go any further. The nearest two rails split away onto dead ends. There was also a platform and several rails ahead of her, but they were at least 50 yd. away. Yet, Galactica did not switch rails.

"There's no way she can make that jump," Misha said, surprised that the android had kept her balance thus far.

"So says the little girl," Galactica commented before leaping off the edge of the railing, somersaulting across the gap and onto the platform.

"Neat!" Taya cheered. "I get it now! She can jump higher with less gravity."

"Why didn't I think a' that?" Misha asked herself.

Unlike the last rail, the next one that Galactica went to had more twists. She maintained her balance even as she passed a small patch of falling meteors. Soon she was on another platform, reaching a checkpoint. The path ahead was steeply sloped, allowing Galactica to skate at a quick pace. Just before the platform abruptly ended, she leapt onto a short rail. Then she jumped onto another rail that descended through sections of the space station in circles. At the end of this spiraling rail was a ramp. She used it to jump through a ring suspended in the air and onto another platform. Then she jumped onto another descending rail.

Then a thought came to Misha. "Since you're going down there anyway, wouldn't it be faster to just jump down to the next platform?"

"Isn't that risky?" Taya said, noting that the platform wasn't directly below.

Galactica responded by leaping off the rail and towards the platform below. The girls doubted that she would make it, judging by how fast she was falling versus how far away the platform was. She compensated for her excessive velocity by spinning through the air, allowing her to land safely on the edge. She leapt across a short series of rails through a tunnel and into a room with three holes, passing another checkpoint. Choosing the middle hole, she fell onto another rail and grinded through a tunnel and onto a platform with no other rails connected to it.

"Where do you go now?" Taya asked, having never seen anyone get this far.

"Up," Galactica said, looking towards a floating rail that was curved upwards at a near ninety-degree angle.

"You're kidding…" Misha said disbelievingly. Without responding, Galactica built up some momentum and leapt onto the rail, which lead her to the next platform. "This is actually the most difficult part," she said. "And I've got a long way to go."

At the time, Cloud and Daniela had moved on to a restaurant. They were eating a light meal and making small talk. The date was going pretty well.

"So then, he decided to become a hunter," Cloud laughed. "He was like 'From now on you will call me Xero,' like he was some kind of force to be reckoned with."

"So did he become a Force?" Daniela asked, giggling a bit.

"Nah. He just became a HUmar."

"I guess he didn't have the mind strength," Daniela joked. "I'm a Force myself."

"Cool," he said, seeing his chance for a compliment. "So the rumor was true."

"What rumor?" Daniela asked.

"Well," he started coolly, "they say that FOnewearls are cute."

"You're not too bad yourself…for someone who isn't a hunter." She was referring to his noticeable muscles. He was no muscle man, but he was fit.

"Thanks," he smiled. "This date isn't turning out so bad after all."

"Not at all," she said dreamily, gazing at his uniquely grey eyes. The moment was broken by a strange noise.

"Dammit!" Cloud cursed, taking out his cell phone. "That's me. This'll only take a sec."

"Sure," Daniela said, allowing him to leave the table. He walked over to where there were payphones and answered his call.

"Whoever this is, make it quick," he said into the phone.

"Hey, Cloud," said a male voice. "It's Jay."

"I'm on a date, man!" Cloud said impatiently. "Can I get back to you later?"

"No," Jay said flatly. "I'm at the hospital, the one near the Ragol transporter."

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked, now concerned.

"X got his ass kicked by the natives of Ragol. Another group of hunters found him and brought him here."

"Is he okay?"

"Kinda," the caller said cryptically. "They did a number on him, but he should be all right. But we sorta need ya here…what with him being unconscious and all. _Somebody_ has to fill out these insurance forms."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

"One more thing," Jay interrupted. "What the hell are you doing talking on a phone on a date? Don't you know how impolite that is? And one more thing: why a cell phone? No one uses cellular phones anymore, with their crappy reception! Spend some money on a videophone for crying out loud! And one more thing…"

At that point, Cloud hung up and walked back to Daniela.

"So, what's up?" Daniela asked.

"I've got bad news," Cloud sighed. "Xero, the guy we were just talking about, got hurt on Ragol. He's in the hospital and…"

"You have to go," Daniela concluded for him.

"Sorry… And things were going pretty good."

"It's okay. I understand," she said, sighing.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll just split the bill and I'll give you a ride to the hospital. It's the one near the Ragol transporter, right?"

"Yeah," Cloud replied. "Thanks, Daniela."

"…So, there's nothing to be ashamed of," Mina said to T-65 in their living room. "Only a handful of Androids have the gift that you and your sister have. I've met Elenor myself and she is a very nice girl. A bit shy, but very polite. I must admit, Montague did a very fine job."

"I don't know," T-65 said uncomfortably. "It just seems kind of weird."

"Everyone is weird in someway or another," Mina smiled. "It's what makes us unique and allows us to stand out from the crowd. All beings have something special about them. Otherwise, this universe would be really boring."

"What's special about you?" T-65 asked.

"I'm a 23 year old super genius who graduated college in her teens. I'm skilled in most things related to technology. I built both you and Galactica to be different from most Androids."

"Like how?"

"I already told you when we talked about Elenor," Mina laughed. "Okay, here's another example. Remember when Galactica started following around that Android waiter and how she was always talking about him and his _articulate_ use of words."

"Yeah, she wouldn't shut up about the guy," T-65 said smugly.

"That's because she had a crush on him," Mina explained, giggling a bit. "He, on the other hand, was incapable of feeling the same way or even empathizing with her. That's why he thought she was malfunctioning. Your situation is a bit more positive though. Elenor has programming that can handle complex emotions like those. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"…Yeah," T-65 said, still feeling awkward. "It still feels weird though."

"Don't worry about it," she said, standing up. "Even organics feel awkward when they get their first crush. Who knows? It may turn into something."

As soon as she finished that sentence, the phone began to sound. Since, the normal ring of a phone had become tiresome, Mina had replaced it with a robotic voice stating, "Caller waiting," in a tone that was persistent but not so tiresome.

"_Moshi-moshi_?" Mina greeted, resulting in a hologram screen to appear and show whom she was talking to. It was a young freckle-faced newman lady who was dressed in the clothing of a Force. She wore a purple and black jester's hat, the kind that splits into two segments with each ending in a puffball, and her long hair was light blue. She had some red face paint lightly placed around her purple eyes.

"Hi, Mina!" she greeted back. "It's me, Bea."

"Long time no see," Mina said. "How's the team?"

"Pretty good, actually," the FOnewearl said. "Hey, is T-65 there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," T-65 answered walking into her view. After looking at her, he noticed that she had an uncanny resemblance to the FOnewearl that he had helped find in the Forest a few days ago. "Wait a sec… You look familiar. Are you that FOnewearl that got messed up in the Forest?"

"I never got 'messed up' in the Forest," Bea said, not knowing what he was talking about. "The animals are no match for _this_ Force."

"But I remember seeing someone just like you," T-65 insisted. "Just as short, with the makeup, and the clothes, and everything. Do you have a twin?"

"Not that I know of," Bea said, thinking. "Who knows? Maybe I have long, lost family… Anyway, I called to tell you that one of your friends got hurt on Ragol. It was the guy with the white ponytail… X or Zero… or something."

"Is he okay?" T-65 asked a little worriedly. Mina also showed a little concern.

"He's out cold and has lots of bruises, but the hospital staff said that he should be okay in a few hours."

"Sure, I'll be right there," T-65 said, heading out the door. "See ya later, Mom."

"I wasn't finished yet," Bea sighed after he left. "Cloud left before Jay could finish his message, too."

"What is it?" Mina asked. "Maybe I can help."

"Apparently," Bea started, "your…son's friend has a little sister named Taya. But she doesn't seem to be at home right now. We need to tell her about this so she doesn't freak out when it's too late."

"What does she look like?" Mina asked. "Does she have white hair too?"

"Nope," Bea said, now reading from something off-screen. "According to Jay, she's a blue haired Newman, not even a blood-relative of the guy…definitely adopted. She's short, has a small frame, light tan skin tone, and has blue eyes."

"You make it sound like she's on a warrant or something," Mina mused. "Looks like you did your homework."

"That's why _Team ABC_ is the best there is," Bea said triumphantly. "By the way, you should know that she's usually with another Newman named Misha. She's not much taller than Taya, but she's got darker skin and has blonde hair. Tell me if you find anything. Most of the team is on the lookout for them."

"Aren't you all overdoing this a bit?"

"It's a slow day. Consider it public service. Bye." The screen then disappeared.

"Time to get busy."

Xero was able to hear again, but his vision hadn't quite returned yet. Either that, or he couldn't open his eyes. What he did know was that he was lying down on something soft and that the calm sound of rain had been replaced by the persistent beeping sound in the background, which was starting to get annoying. Soon his mind was occupied by one thought: stop the noise. He soon noticed that it was difficult to move. As he put more effort into sitting up, his vision began to return. First it started as a giant white blur. Soon enough, he noticed that there was a white bed sheet over his face.

The next thing he noticed was muffled yelling, probably from another room. He was able to make out some of the upset words.

"You told me he was okay!" a familiar voice yelled.

"He was when we got here," said another familiar, but calmer voice. "But you know what they say; shit happens."

"Dude, you think this is funny?!" the first voice said rather than asked. "Well I'm not laughing!"

"You don't need to get so upset," a new, more cheerful voice said. "We can still help him. I'll show you." Xero then noticed that they were walking his way.

He had managed to get the sheet off and with some effort, sit up in the bed he was in. It became obvious that he was in a hospital. He found the health monitor that was making so much noise and disconnected it from himself. The beeping immediately turned into one long beep, which was more aggravating. He got up and frantically searched for an "OFF" button. After flipping some switches and pressing a few buttons, the machine stopped completely. He sighed of relief just as several people came through the door.

"So what are you go…Xero!" Cloud exclaimed. "You're alive!"

"Huh?" Xero managed to say, turning towards the people entering. It was Cloud, Bea, and Jay. He had never seen Jay or Bea in their hunter outfits before. Along with her jester-like hat, Bea had a sleeveless black and purple top and a pair of matching sleeves. She was also wearing a funny-looking, curved, purple skirt with black shorts underneath.

She also had purple socks with black platform clogs to make her look less short. Jay, who was a HUmar somewhat shorter than Xero, was wearing an orange muscle shirt over a black T-shirt. He had black pants, which probably had padding underneath, and orange sneakers. Unlike Bea's long blue hair, Jay had short, tapered black hair.

"Thank you, thank you!" Cloud cheered, grasping Bea in a hug and kissing her on the cheek several times.

"Uh…Dude?" Jay said, bothered by the scene. "She didn't do anything."

"What?" Cloud asked, dropping Bea abruptly.

"I didn't get a chance to do anything yet," Bea explained, getting off of the floor. "He came back to life on his own."

"What!" Xero exclaimed. "I died?"

"Just for a little bit," Jay smiled light-heartedly.

"Dammit…" Xero cursed. "Well, who brought me here?"

"Some hunters that wish to remain anonymous," Jay said cryptically.

"You okay, man?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Xero said, stretching. "Just a little stiff is all." They all noticed that someone was entering the room, as the door slid open.

"I'm sorry," said the nurse, entering with T-65. "I'm afraid we couldn't…you're alive?"

"Well, he is now…" Jay smirked. "Apparently, X skipped a few beats and slipped away for a few minutes."

"You okay?" T-65 asked.

"I'm fine," Xero replied. "Now let's get out of here."

"You're healed already?" the nurse asked, surprised. "Humans usually take longer. Hmm… You look well enough. Just be more careful next time."

"That's it?" Bea asked, seeming disappointed. "You just get up out of bed and walk out the hospital. Isn't that too easy?"

"Meh," Xero shrugged, walking out the door followed by Cloud, T-65, and the nurse.

"Well, wasn't that just the damndest thing?" Jay said to his disillusioned partner.

"Humph!" Bea grunted. "Now I have to tell Mina to forget what I told her."

"Okay, Galactica!" Misha exclaimed. "You made your point!" Galactica had thoroughly proven that she was an expert at skating. She had made some huge jumps that made the first one look like a skip across a puddle.

"It's all too easy for me," Galactica posed after passing the goal.

"_¡__Excellente!_" Anne called, approaching from behind them.

"Anne's never made it past the halfway point," Miguel said walking into view.

"How long have you been watching?" Galactica asked, not used to having an audience.

"Since the part when you made that first drop," Miguel said.

"What're you two doing here?" Misha asked. "I thought you were going to some dance club."

"We were…" Anne began.

"But," continued Miguel, "the girl in the skirt called Anne…whatever that name was…well, Anne got interested."

"Let me explain," Misha said, speaking for Taya. "Taya does this thing where she calls people by a nickname she makes up for them. She does that to lots a' people. Show 'em."

"Blue, Kunoichi, and Gally-san," Taya said, pointing to Miguel, Anne, and Galactica respectively.

"Gally-san?" Galactica questioned. "Taya, my preferred nickname is GA."

"Don't worry, Miss Galactica," Taya said in a different tone. "I'm outgrowing it."

"Sorry, but I have to butt in here," Anne said. "Where'd you get the name _Kunoichi_?"

"You just look like one," Taya smiled innocently.

"What is a kunoichi?" asked Galactica.

"Female ninja," answered Taya, Misha, and Anne.

"So that's what's been bothering you," Miguel said to Anne.

"What's wrong?" Galactica asked.

"_Nada_," Anne said defensively. "There's nothing wrong."

"There's obviously something bothering you," Galactica said. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, alright!" Anne snapped, her eyes flaring. "Drop it! Just leave me alone!"

"I'm only trying to help," Galactica said dejectedly.

"Galactica…I," Anne stuttered. "I didn't mean…I just need to go cool off. Excuse me," she said walking off.

"What's with her?" Misha asked.

"She just does that sometimes," Miguel said. "You know how women are… Whoops! Wrong audience. I'll see ya 'round. Exit stage right," he said, following Anne.

"It's not completely her fault," said a new female voice. It came from a somewhat tall white Android with a black torso and black lines going across her arms, others down her legs. Structurally, she looked like a taller, stronger version of Anne. Bright, red eyes pierced the black area beneath her white, metal bangs. Her white metallic ponytail, which was shorter than Anne's, was speckled with black dots. She also had black bracelets, disguising her dual ISL units.

"Excuse me?" Galactica inquired.

"Ana…" the stranger said thoughtfully, looking in the direction where the other Androids had just left. "Anne, as you call her, isn't wholly at fault for her outburst. It's hard for her to relay her emotions. She was never built to feel sadness, guilt, or sorrow. Instead, she displays the next closest thing… anger. It will take time for her to develop better emotions…We're all like that…"

"Who's 'we'?" Misha asked.

"And who are you?" Galactica asked.

"We? Me?" the stranger chuckled lightly. "I'm talking about Anne…myself…and the rest of our sisters." Then, she began to walk away.

"Sisters?" Galactica exclaimed. "Wait! Who are you? And what about...?"

"It's best not to pry," the stranger interrupted gently. "Just give her time…and she'll tell you when she is ready."

"But," Galactica said as the stranger left and it was too late. Suddenly, Galactica froze for a moment and reached for the orange appendage attached to her left armlet.

"What are you doing?" Misha asked.

"I'm getting a call," Galactica said, tapping a button on the object. "One moment."

"Hey, GA," the holographic screen of Mina said.

"Hello, Mother," Galactica said. "What do you need?"

"Hey, is that girl next to you named Taya?" Mina asked

"You're getting pretty popular," Misha noted to her friend.

"Yes, I'm Taya," the Newman spoke up. "I didn't know Androids had moms."

"Ha ha," Mina laughed. "How precious. I called to tell Galactica if she'd seen you, since she works at a school. I knew it was still a long shot, but it paid off. I was told to tell you something."

Before she could continue, the hologram blipped and buzzed.

"Hold on," Mina said, phasing out the image. "I've got another call."

"I wonder what the message is," Taya said. "I've never seen her before. Is she really your mom?"

"Yes," Galactica said. "She is the one who built me with her own hands."

"She seems like a nice mom to have," Taya said.

"I'm back," Mina said as her image returned.

"So, what was the message?" Misha asked.

"…What message?" Mina asked nervously, totally disorienting the listeners.

"Mother!" Galactica exclaimed. "You're a terrible liar. You had a message for Taya."

"Okay," Mina relented. "A friend of mine, who is a friend of a friend, who is a friend of Taya's brother told me to tell you something important. But, the information I got just became unnecessary. So uh… It was nice to meet you. Bye." Then the image disappeared.

"Okay," Taya said, not understanding anything that was just said.

"Moving on…" Misha said, changing the subject. "Taya, how much money do you have on you?"

"About 20 meseta," Taya answered. "Why?"

"Now seems like a good time to buy some new cards," Misha said.

"Trading cards?" Galactica asked.

"Do you play?" Misha asked.

"I don't know anyone who doesn't," Galacatica said jokingly, taking her deck from her right armlet appendage.

_Notes:_ Can you say wild goose chase? So…how about that Xero? Interesting how I killed him in his second major chapter, huh? And apparently Anne has some issues that Miguel already knows about. I suppose she doesn't like to be called by anything other than her name…. Oh yeah, and Galactica is actually cool in some aspect. BTW, if you didn't understand the implications made in that "mother-son" talk about Elenor, please slam your head on the nearest hard surface. One last thing: Phantamon …ha!

_On the next exciting episode of PSO Sidestory:_ It's time to investigate the Central Dome in the Forest. Let's find out what happened to Pioneer 1 and its crew. The Dome looks untouched, so there might have just been an EMP. Yeah right! Our heroes will take on the perils of the Forest and find more messages from Red Ring Rico. But which heroes? There is definitely something in the Forest that wasn't there before. Find out in "Growl From the Depths of the Earth." Bigger bark. Bigger bite… Only Toonami!


	12. Investigation

**Chapter 12: Investigation**

Mina, T-65, Anne, and Miguel were all gathered at the Hunter's Guild. Mina had called the with a request in mind.

"So, what's up?" Miguel asked the FOmarl. "Did you find someone that wanted four hunters?"

"No," Mina answered. "I called you because _I'm_ giving you all a quest."

"Didn't see that one coming," Miguel said dryly.

"Couldn't you have just asked?" T-65 suggested. "We're all friends here."

"I did ask one person," Mina began, "but she isn't here yet. As for you all, a quest will make sure that you don't back out too soon."

"Sounds like we're going to do something dangerous," Anne smiled with interest.

"I'm sure it is," Mina said cryptically. "I want you all to join me down on Ragol. As you've noticed, there are too many inconsistencies: no marks of an explosion, no people, killer animals, etc. I think it's time to find out exactly what happened."

"How do you plan to do that?" Anne asked, putting her hand on her hip.

"We need to get into Central Dome," Mina said, looking at Ragol through the window. "It seems to be intact, so there might be a possibility that everyone is inside or under it."

"And then we can get to the bottom of this," Miguel said dryly.

"I'm all set to go," Anne said readily.

"Who're we waiting for?" T-65 asked. "GA?"

"She's at work," Mina answered, turning back toward them. "We're just waiting for one of my former college buddies. She's going to help me do the investigating, while you three handle most of the fighting. Her name is Nadja Dennen."

"Is that her?" Miguel asked, pointing to a FOmarl that just entered the Guild. She was about the same size as Anne. She had white hair and a relatively plain, but fair face with doe-like blue eyes. Her dress was a faded red and black pattern and she had on a small decorated cap.

"Yep," Mina said, before waving at Nadja. "Over here, Nadja!"

"Hello, Mina," Nadja greeted. "Are they coming with us?"

"Mm hmm," Mina nodded. "This is Anne, Miguel, and you've met T-65." They all greeted Nadja.

"I'm ready to go," Nadja said with a touch of enthusiasm.

"Excuse me," said the lady at the counter. "The Hunter's Guild has received some data from the Lab that should be useful to you. We're handing out these data disks to all hunters going to Ragol. Please download them to make your quest as successful as possible."

"These should definitely help," Mina said. "Now let's get going."

Chronos had already gotten enough money from quests that day to satisfy him, so he decided to visit a club that Anne and Miguel had mentioned. Instead of trying to awkwardly dress in street clothes, he had taken Mina's suggestion and dressed in the clothes that he had worn on his home world. He was wearing loose-fitting robes that were similar to his hunter uniform, except they were much more plain and had pants. Before heading to the dance floor, he decided to sit down at the bar to get a drink.

Sitting next to him, was a raven-haired human lady in a black, sleeveless dress with a high collar. Next to her was an unusually large Newman in black clothes. The tanned Newman suddenly got up and whispered something into her ear. She nodded and he walked away. When the large redheaded Newman glanced at Chronos, the FOmar realized he had been staring and quickly turned back to his drink. The lady didn't seem to pay him any mind and actually appeared to be bored, staring straight ahead. As a group of men started to walk over, her expression changed to slight irritation.

"Hey, pretty lady," said one of the shorter men, a Newman. "Let's say I buy you a drink and we go back to my place?"

"No thank you," she replied politely with a low voice, not looking at him.

"Move over, shrimp!" said a larger human. "She wants someone who can actually afford a drink. She wants a big guy like me. Let's go babe."

"I'm fine where I am," she said with a little more force.

"I told ya Con," said another human. "You may be a big guy, but ladies like 'em big where it counts. And I think I'm just the guy for her. How about it?"

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not nice to talk that way in front of a lady," she said, making her annoyance much more visible. "Now, please go away and leave me alone."

"Feisty," one of them taunted. "Oh, are we bothering you?"

"Yes," she replied curtly. "Be gone or…"

"Or else what!" the largest one said, forcefully turning her around to face them. "I don't like your attitude, bitch!"

"That's enough!" Chronos shouted, standing up. "Do as she says and leave her alone!"

"Stay out of this pretty boy!" the man warned. "You wouldn't know anything about getting some, so leave it to the professionals."

"I will not allow you to mistreat this woman any longer," Chronos said defiantly. "Go find some willing whore in Sector 8. Understand that when a lady says no, she means no."

"I think someone's askin' for trouble," said the Newman.

"If you wish to fight me," Chronos began, "let's do so outside."

"That won't be necessary," the lady interrupted. "I did not come here to see a fight."

"That is why we shall fight outside and out of sight," Chronos explained, staring a hole into the group. "I believe that the nearest alley is fitting enough."

"We are so gonna' kick your ass," said one the men rubbing his knuckles.

Down on Ragol, Mina and Nadja looked for clues to solving the mystery while the Androids went ahead clearing the path and searching for a teleport.

"This is the sixth one we've found," Mina said to Nadja in astonishment at all of the message pods from Rico they had found. "How did we miss them before?"

"I suppose they blended in," Nadja replied. "How many of these should we record?"

"Just the ones with useful information," Mina suggested. "Especially about her whereabouts, the animals' behavior, and the explosion."

"Hey!" Anne called out from a gate. "We found the transport and some more pods."

"Lead the way," Mina said. They trotted through the gate, through a large area, and through another gate. Upon entering the last area, they found Miguel and T-65 surrounded by wolves.

"Glad you could make it," Miguel joked, swinging his Sword at the nearest wolf.

"Do you need any help?" Mina asked, ready to zap them all.

"Naaah," T-65 said, gunning down several Savage Wolves. "We're fine." Then, a pair of Monests landed as the wolves dwindled in number.

"But then again," Miguel said casually, "you're always welcome to join in." Mina complied by firing off a series of electric bolts from her body, literally frying all of the Mothmants and knocking over the Monests, which were actually convulsing from the shock. With a swipe and a shot, Miguel and T-65 destroyed the nests.

"You didn't tell me you could do all that," said an amazed RAcast. He had never actually seen his creator fight before.

"What level are you anyway?" Anne asked, amazed at Mina's power.

"Me?" Mina asked innocently. "I'm only level 33."

"Only?" Miguel questioned.

"She's been a Force for quite a while," Nadja giggled. "Let's get to that transporter."

"_That means she could kill us right now,_" Miguel whispered to Anne.

"_Miguel, I could kill you right now,_" Anne whispered back.

"I believe that this will suit us perfectly," Chronos said to the group of five men he had led into an alley. "If you wish to reconsider, there is still time for you to apologize to her." The five men burst into laughter.

"Buddy," said the smallest one, "you're a riot. It almost makes up for what you tried to do. But no matter what you say, we're still gonna' give you the beating of your life. All we gotta' figure out is how: together or just one on one."

"You're welcome to attempt either," Chronos said, "but the walls are too closed in to effectively attack in a group."

"I'll take care of this," said the largest one. "The name's Deuce and I'll make sure you don't forget it, boy." Deuce began his attack by charging at Chronos. Chronos merely sidestepped and tripped his opponent, causing Deuce to stumble straight into a metal wall.

"Cheap bastard!" Deuce yelled, regaining his senses. He swung a fist at Chronos. In response, Chronos grabbed Deuce's arm and twisted it behind his back. Deuce groaned in pain and anger. When he tried to elbow Chronos with his other arm, the FOmar caught it and proceeded to twist it in the same fashion.

"You may surrender at any time," Chronos reminded him. In response, Deuce head butted Chronos, catching him off guard and allowing Deuce to use his arms again. He immediately threw a punch, but Chronos caught it. Instead of twisting his arm like before, Chronos twisted the man's entire body, sending him to the ground. Deuce groaned even more as he got up. Instead of waiting for another attack, Chronos took the offensive. He started with a kick to the gut, then a double kick to the stunned man, and finished with a heavy punch to his chest, which knocked Deuce back a few feet.

"Holy crap!" said one of the men in the group. "He beat Deuce!"

"Let's get 'em!" said another. "He can't take us all on." And so they ran in an attempt to overwhelm Chronos. But as he had said about the cramped space, there wasn't enough room for even two people to attack at once.

"Fools," Chronos commented, readying himself. Then he noticed that they were taking out steel knives. He couldn't use any of his own weapons or Techniques since the unauthorized photon energy would be noticeable by unwanted authorities. Plus that would just be too easy. Furthermore, he didn't carry weapons around the city like that. As soon as the first person was in reach, Chronos knocked him back with a kick to the chest. He sidestepped a swipe of the next knife-wielding aggressor and punched him in the face.

"Die!" said the next attacker, lunging at Chronos. Chronos had no choice but to catch the knife by its blade before slamming the attacker into the wall and elbowing his face. Only one more remained, the Newman. Deciding to attack at a safe distance, he threw his knife at Chronos before charging. Of course, Chronos easily dodged the blade and used an open-palmed strike to the Newman's face.

"Now what have we learned?" Chronos asked the fallen men, not sure if they were even conscious. "Show respect to a lady…and never judge a book by its cover."

"A disaster occurred. Things were shaking, then something broke through the surface. And then it exploded in the Central Dome! I don't know what to say... For 7 years, we've tried to adjust and improve the environment. What was it? Was it related to the accidents we've had recently?"

"Did you get that?" Mina asked Nadja. "Something came from underground when the explosion occurred."

"Is it always raining in Forest 2?" Nadja asked, noticing that it was always cloudy. "Do you think you should look into that?"

"Now that you mention it," Mina said, noticing that her hair was already wet. "I should have brought a hat. Oh well, it's only water. But I'll definitely check that out."

"Should we go help your friends?" Nadja said, listening to the battle ahead.

"You worry too much," Mina laughed. "They'll be fine."

"Boomas at 6 o'clock!" Anne yelled, firing her Handgun. "I'll take the vanillas."

"I'll take the raspberries," Miguel said swinging his huge Sword. That left T-65 with the regular Boomas, which were easy to pick off since the Hunters were drawing the most attention. When the enemies got too close to Anne, she switched back to her Daggers and sliced them to pieces one at a time. She was quick enough to make quick attacks while taking minimal damage. Miguel was strong enough to easily swing his Sword into several enemies at once, taking down his opponents quickly. Soon enough, all of the Boomas were dead.

"Right on schedule," Mina said walking through the gate. "How is everyone so far?"

"A few scratches here and there," commented Miguel, flipping a red switch. "How're you?"

"Hey, Nadja," Mina said, as she raised her hands to heal everyone with blue-sparkled Resta. "There's a pod over here too."

"What does it say?" Nadja asked getting ready to record another message.

"Watch out for Hildelt's lightning attack. I prefer NOT to get electrocuted."

"I don't remember anything about a Hildelt," Mina said, thinking. "Have any of you?" None of the others had ever heard of such a thing.

"Maybe it's related to a Hildebear?" Nadja suggested. "It spits fire, and one time I remember coming across a different type that had a blue face and breathed ice. Maybe this Hildelt is just another member of the family."

"Whatever it is," T-65 interrupted, "I don't want to ever meet it." The other Androids nodded in agreement. They all walked through the next gate and found that notoriously dangerous long path that usually held many animals. Before going there, they went through the gate to their left and were met by a variety of Boomas. Before anyone could attack, Mina wiped them all out with another dazzling zap of Razonde. Their bodies convulsed sickeningly on the ground for a few seconds, even though they were dead.

"Are there any pods in here?" Mina said walking in. She immediately jumped back as a Hildebear landed in front of her. Nadja cast an icy wind into the beast while T-65 started shooting. It was Mina's flurry of icicles that killed it.

"You need to be more careful," Nadja said, relieved.

"Here's another one," Miguel said, pointing to a pod.

"If you can't hit a Hildebear, try standing in front of it. Of course, I don't miss."

"Is she mocking us?" Anne asked, feeling insulted.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mina said. "She is supposed to be the best hunter around. So, it wouldn't be too inaccurate for her to assume that the receiver isn't as skilled as she is…or was…"

"So," T-65 said hesitantly. "Who's goin' down the path to draw out the animals?"

"You mean who wants to be bait," Miguel corrected.

"Let's go in the typical fashion," Mina suggested. "First Hunters, then Forces, and finally Ranger." The group followed suit. When they had walked far enough down the path, they could see a pack of Wolves waiting for them. Instead of charging the wolves, the group let T-65 shoot them from a distance. It was easy to kill them since they hadn't spotted the hunters yet. The gates unlocked, surprising the hunters.

"That was way too easy," T-65 said in disappointment. "Usually a little bit of everything comes out to get you on this path."

"Maybe they're concentrating on another area," Anne said, turning off her Daggers to save energy..

"You all go ahead," Mina said, walking towards an open laser fence. "I need to show Nadja something." She led Nadja through the laser fence and instantly spotted the monument. Learning from previous mistakes, she took out her Soul Assaults. As they approached the monument, a horde of Gigoboomas appeared behind them. Mina turned as soon as she heard them roar and fired.

"Mina, use ice!" Nadja said, killing one with Gibarta. "That new data we got says that they're weak against ice just like Hildebears."

"Right, ice!" Mina said, using her own Gibarta to kill several. Another blast of ice was enough to finish them off.

"Have you noticed how the animals have been getting more coordinated in their attacks?" Nadja commented. "At first, they just came out of nowhere and attacked. Now they're coming in groups and ambushes."

"Maybe this monument will have some answers," Mina said, pointing to the monolith. "Just listen to Rico's message."

"I heard that this tall column was built to commemorate the immigration of Pioneer 1. But... it may just be me…but it doesn't look very new. And these patterns... aren't they characters?"

"So what do you think?" Mina asked her friend.

"It's definitely old," Nadja said feeling the monument. "At the minimum, several hundred years old. Assuming that it didn't perpetually rain like this, it may be well over 2 thousand years old. I can't tell exactly. And these markings…they're some of the most archaic forms of writing I've ever seen."

"Can you read it?" Mina asked, intrigued.

"I wish I had a camera!" Nadja continued elatedly, not really hearing Mina. "I could study this for months. Then I could find similarities between this and other calligraphies! You just don't know how exciting this is! Such a vast wealth of history we have, yet no one knows it all. Sure, they may have a library or collection, but…"

"Nadja!" Mina shouted, snapping Nadja out of her euphoria. "We can talk about the history of the universe later. Right now, we need to concentrate on the present. Now, can you tell me what this monument says?"

"I recognize some of these markings," Nadja said, kneeling to get a closer look, "but it's really difficult to translate… They look similar to the Esper language. It's saying something about _light and darkness_…a _pair_…_reincarnation_ or _rebirth_…_infinite_…_rule_…_unlimited_…_seal_… I'd kill for a camera!"

"Hmm," Mina thought. "I think we should move on."

"Sorry, Mina" Nadja said, leaping up and opening a Telepipe. "I can't help myself! If I don't get a camera or something to record these, I feel like…I'll just explode!"

"Don't go yet!" Mina pleaded. "We haven't gotten to the dome yet."

"You'll be fine without me," Nadja said, jumping up and down excitedly. "Oh, I can't wait! You don't know what it's like to get off on history."

"_Nani?!_" Mina exclaimed. "What're you saying?"

"You just don't understand how much I love history!" Nadja explained impatiently, warping back to the Pioneer ship.

"Arrrgh …She's just as bad as Claire!" Mina ranted to herself in frustration as she walked to catch up to the Androids. "Getting off on history… That's just weird."

The dark-haired woman had not moved from her spot and was still enjoying the same drink, looking bored. Then, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Madame," Chronos greeted. "I don't think they will be giving you anymore trouble for a while. I think they've learned their lesson."

"You didn't have to…" she turned to talk to him, but paused when she saw the swollen Newman in front of her.

"Say what you have to say," Chronos firmly said to the Newman.

"On behalf of me and the others," he said timidly, "I would like to say…that we acted rudely…and…uh…very ungentlemanly-like. So…we would just like to say that…we apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused you…so uh, sorry…"

"Now, move along," Chronos ordered, watching the defeated man walk out of the building.

"You went through all that…for me?" the lady asked, astonished.

"Yes," Chronos replied with a smile. "Everyone should be treated with the respect that is due to them."

"Yes…well, thank you," she said, moving her long hair out of her face. It was then that Chronos saw her hauntingly narrow, yet alluringly wide purple eyes. He also noticed two blue dots on her forehead and that the tips of her hair were red as blood.

"Is that an emblem?" he asked, looking at the symbols on her forehead. "Seeds of Power?"

"…Yes," she said, surprised that anyone knew what the emblem meant. "Are you, by any chance, from Dezolis?"

"Yes," he replied, sitting next to her. "Only Dezolans and a few Forces wear emblems like that."

"And only a Dezolan," she continued, "would call the planet by that name instead of Dezoris."

"I believe introductions are in order," he said respectfully, switching into his native dialect. "Chronos Ranzo is my name. And you?"

"Megumi Ite," she said politely.

"Tell me now, Miss Ite," he began. "Why do you not smile? You seem so idle, so restless, as if there is nothing of real interest to you."

"Precisely," she replied wryly. "The only attention I seem to attract is the likes of those scoundrels. No others will to approach me, perhaps intimidated by my appearance. I'm quite aware of how narrow my eyes are."

"Pardon me, but I can't see anything wrong with you," Chronos said, returning to his drink. Megumi didn't know what to make of this gentleman. Few people would stand up for others against such odds and succeed. Few would even find her approachable.

"Would you care to dance?" she asked, standing up. She was almost as tall as Chronos.

"Uh… very well," he agreed. "But I must warn you, I'm not particularly adept at dancing. That goes especially for fast music."

"Personally," she said, "I choose only to slow dance. And a slow dance is what we shall have." She then waved over someone that Chronos couldn't see. Then he noticed that it was the large Newman who had walked away before. She whispered something into his long ears. He nodded and walked away.

"Who is that large fellow?" Chronos asked curiously.

"He is my bodyguard," she responded. "Now let's dance."

"But what about the slow dance?" Chronos asked, noting that the current music was a fast techno beat. As if to answer his question, the music faded out and faded in with a slow bluesy sort of beat.

"Hmm," Megumi mused. "_The Real Folk Blues_… one of my favorites. I hope you don't not mind a song in _Nihongo_."

"Not at all," Chronos said walking out onto the dance floor.

"That was more like it," T-65 said, having just finished off a trio of Hildebears with Anne and Miguel.

"It doesn't look like we'll be out here too much longer," Anne commented. "We're only a teleport and a jog away from Central Dome."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," Miguel said unsurely. "That is, unless a certain FOmarl decides to fight seriously."

"What're you getting' at?" T-65 asked protectively.

""I'm just saying that Mina's more powerful than she lets on," Miguel clarified. "If she stopped holding back, we would've been done with this a while ago."

"She's just being the scientist that she is," Anne said understandingly. "Besides, who wants her to hog all the experience? She doesn't really need it." Just then Mina walked through the gate looking peeved.

"What happened to your friend?" Miguel asked, noticing her absence.

"She left," Mina said bluntly, raising her hands to cast Resta on them. "Are there any pods here?"

"Right over here," T-65 said. "You're gonna' like this one."

"Pioneer 1 may have damaged the ecological system of Ragol before we were aware of it. So, the native creatures tried to remove the invaders. That's one supposition. But what about the explosion!? I need more information. I have to go do some research."

"That's an interesting theory," Mina said, recording the message. "There's nothing left to do but move forward."

"Just warnin' you guys," T-65 said as they approached the teleport, "last time I went up there, everything came at us. It was worse than that path." One by one, they were transported to the platform beside Central Dome. As soon as they appeared just about everything did come out. Wolves leaped over them from behind, all sorts of Boomas broke through the platform floor, a Monest began its decent towards the middle, and a flock of Rappies dropped all around.

"Split up!" Mina ordered. She literally started her assault with a bang by using her explosive Rafoie to kill a dozen of the enemies. T-65 frantically shot whatever was closest to him as he ran to the left. Anne attacked from the right with her Daggers, struggling not to get overwhelmed as she erratically blocked and dodged strikes. Miguel charged straight into the fray with his Sword.

"Do your thing, little buddy!" Miguel said to his Mag, Varuna. "Farla!" There was a grinding noise as the blue, claw-like machine spun around and created a geometric inscription of light into the ground below Miguel. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as everything around him seemed to get darker. Then a giant neon pink and yellow colored serpent appeared above Miguel. It screeched and then started spinning around Miguel in a circle, as its body seemed to become engulfed in fire. Anything that was within a few feet of Miguel was burnt to a crisp, as the ring of fire spread away from him and dissipated.

"Kick ass!" T-65 yelled, with this being his first time witnessing a Photon Blast. "I can't wait to use mine!" The only enemies that remained were a few wolves and Mothmants that had escaped the range of the Photon Blast. They were quickly disposed of by Mina's electrical attacks and the shots of Anne and T-65's guns.

"That went well," Mina said, healing everyone with another Resta. "It just goes to show how invaluable a Mag is." Just then, a light emanated from Miguel's Mag as it started to change shape. It turned into what looked like a pair of blue wings.

"Hmph," Miguel sounded. "I guess it was only one feeding away from evolving into a Rudra."

"I don't think I'll be able to use a Photon Blast today," Mina said, picking up a Difluid from some supply boxes. "Shato barely collected any energy." They made their way through the final gate just as a trio of Barbarous Wolves jumped in front of them. Mina eliminated them with a chained bolt of electricity from Gizonde. The space was too cramped for anyone to attack with weapons without hitting someone.

"Hildebears, straight ahead," Anne said, jogging out to attack them. Instead, the one Hildebear leaped over to her, knocking her back. She leapt forward, slashing at it with her Daggers. Miguel soon joined in. Both blocked its initial swing with their shields. T-65 began shooting with his Rifle, aiming for its head. Mina had to get closer to attack with Zonde since an overhang from the Central Dome prevented an attack from above. It was the only attack she could use without hitting someone else. As soon as the Hildebear died, the next one had already stomped its way over and spat a fireball at the Hunters. Miguel took the hit for Anne, using his Sword to take most of the damage. T-65 was already blasting away while Anne started slashing and Mina moved in for a better angle. Just before the ape brought down its powerful arms onto Anne, an ice trap exploded, freezing it. Miguel shattered it with a slice of his Sword.

"That was my last trap," Anne said, a bit winded. "Check the door." The door to Central Dome was giving off a lot of electrical discharge. Before checking it, Mina activated another message pod right beside it.

"No. It won't open. It might be easier to look for another way to get in."

"Well," Miguel said sarcastically, "there's always that ominously large, red transporter over there."

"Hey!" T-65 said suspiciously. "That wasn't there before! This is just gettin' creepy!"

"This might lead us to our answer," Mina said nervously. "We're almost finished. But I can't shake off this feeling of foreboding."

"Maybe the door was sealed on purpose," Anne suggested. "You know, to keep the animals out."

"No," Mina shook her head. "That door is broken. Something damaged it so that it would be hard to ever open again."

"Are you sure?" Miguel asked. "You make it sound as if someone is doing this on purpose."

"I wouldn't rule that out," Anne said, folding her arms. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this is a trap. But as long as we're getting some _dinero_ for this, there's no reason to bitch out now." She walked to the transporter.

"I'm game," T-65 said, walking over to the transporter.

"No sense in turning back now," Mina said, joining them.

"Then it's settled," Miguel said, walking over to the transporter with false optimism. "Just you wait and see. This'll all just blow over with all our questions answered and then we can start looking for a good spot to land the ship."

"Sorry," Chronos apologized, awkwardly stepping on the woman's feet. He found her brown, leathery shoes to have a medieval uniqueness. They had a somewhat crude look, appearing pointy and having bumpy ridges, yet they also looked soft and comfortable. "It's been some time since I last danced with someone."

"Just follow my lead," Megumi assured him calmly, "and you'll do wonderfully. Step to the music as I do."

"Okay," Chronos checked, watching his feet to match her own.

"You have to hold on to me," she said, grabbing on to his back.

"Right," he said, hesitantly placing his hands around her shoulders. "Is this okay?"

"A bit lower," she advised with the same calm demeanor. She took his hands and placed them around her waist, much to Chronos's surprise. "Relax…and just move to the flow of the music." The music was soothing even though Chronos couldn't understand a word of it.

"This music is quite good," Chronos said approvingly.

"I'm glad that you like it," she responded. "To be truthful, it is a sad song. It is about a heartbroken woman who is distraught with her current situation, yet hopeful of a better future."

"I would hope that she gets that better future," Chronos said thoughtfully. "It reminds me of another song that I heard recently."

"What would that be?" she asked.

"I believe it's called _Can Still See the Light_," he answered. Megumi noticed off to the side that the Newman was trying to get her attention in a low-key fashion.

"Your dancing is better than what you thought," she complimented as she let go of him and walked off of the dance floor. "I must take my leave now. I thank you for what you did. You've improved my outing and I hope to see you again."

"How do I know that I improved your day," Chronos began, "if you still haven't shown even a hint of a smile?"

"Guldo," she said expectantly to the Newman. Then turning back to Chronos she said, "He will provide you with my phone number and address. That is how you know of your achievement." She then made her exit.

"Here," the Guldo said gruffly, handing Chronos the information. Then he followed Megumi out as well.

"Okay," Chronos said, unsure of what just happened.

The first person to materialize was Anne, then, T-65, Mina, and Miguel. In front of them was a stone red wall with blue glowing minerals. They also noticed that it was uncomfortably hot. Apparently they were in some sort of cave.

"Where are we?" Mina asked out loud.

"_¡Mierda!_" Anne screamed from behind them. They all turned around to see what she was so excited about. Mina gasped while T-65 was in awestruck silence.

"Definitely didn't see that one coming!" Miguel exclaimed. Hovering yards away from them was a huge, reddish-brown, single-horned dragon. It landed on its sharp talons with an earth-shaking crash and let out a monstrous roar.

**Boss: Dragon the ****Infernal Lizard**

"The data calls it Dragon," Mina said, glancing at the device under her left sleeve.

"I could of guessed that much," Miguel said.

"It's coming this way," Anne said. "It doesn't look too happy." The Dragon was steadily stomping its way over to the group.

"What do we do?" T-65 asked frantically. Their Mags seemed to answer his question by making spinning around and making odd sounds. All four hunters then started glowing with red and blue light.

"They're using Deband and Shifta!" Mina announced. "They're powering us up." Suddenly, the Dragon stopped its approach and seemed to breathe in deeply. "Just go for it!"

"Scatter!" Anne ordered. Mina and Anne ran to the left while the male Androids ran to the right. The Dragon blew fire to the spot where they had been and started to spew it at a wider angle to hit them. T-65 made the mistake of trying to aim his Rifle and was knocked over by the force of the flames. Miguel helped him up and they continued to run to the side of the Dragon. Meanwhile, Anne and Mina were speedily making their way to the Dragon dodging flames the whole way.

"I'm surprised you can keep up with that dress on," Anne said to Mina, who was just behind her.

"I'm surprised you can run at all with those heels," Mina said back to her.

"You've got a point there," Anne said, just before leaping into the air. As she flipped through the air, the heels retracted into her boots as she landed with her Daggers ready to strike the Dragon's clawed feet. When the Dragon started walking again, she had to be careful not to get stepped on as she tore away at its feet. By this time, T-65 had begun shooting, and Miguel was beginning to hack away at its feet.

_"What are dragons weak against?"_ Mina thought, looking through her data files frantically. _"Strong against most elemental attacks. For fire breathing dragons, ice is most effective."_ Taking the data's advice, she used Gibarta to shoot ice at the Dragon's body. This was the first attack that seemed to actually cause the Dragon pain since it began to stumble.

"Watch out!" T-65 warned. "It's takin' a fall!" They all moved out of the way as the Dragon fell forward and slammed into the ground. It seemed dazed from the shock its head took upon hitting the ground. Miguel and Mina took this chance to continue their attacks.

"T-65!" Anne barked getting his attention. "Let's use our Photon Blasts! Aim for the head! Farla, attack!"

"Right!" T-65 acknowledged, remembering his Photon Blast. "Alright, Kalki…uh…use Estilla!" An inscription formed beneath both Androids and the Mags made the grinding noise. Farla the Serpent appeared above Anne while a strange, neon purple colored dolphin appeared above T-65. The two beings seemed to acknowledge each other's existence and looked toward the fallen Dragon before them. Estilla appeared to swim toward the Dragon as Farla began to spin into fire. Both struck the Dragon, which seemed to give it enough encouragement to get to its feet despite not having any real arms.

It roared in aggravation and flew into the air. Learning from its mistake, it spat fire all around the cave from above. Anne nimbly dodged the fire with ease since she was no longer wearing her heels. T-65 stood under the Dragon, attempting to get off a few shots. Miguel and Mina were having a harder time escaping the fire.

"You can't escape that easily," Mina said, using Zonde to pester the Dragon with lightning bolts. The Dragon stopped spitting fire and turned itself towards Mina in midair. Then unexpectedly, it began to spin around in the air and dived underground leaving a pool of molten rock in its wake.

"What now?" Miguel said, tired of being scorched. Then he noticed that there was an upheaval of dirt showing that the Dragon was quickly burrowing towards him. Miguel decided to make a run for it. It barely missed him and headed toward Mina. She tried using Barta to stop it, but the dirt shielded it from the ice. It sent her tumbling over itself and went deeper underground so that it became unnoticeable.

"It's off the radar!" Anne said to herself. Another mound appeared before her and moved away in the RAcast's direction. Unable to escape, he was plowed through the air by the burrowing Dragon. It again disappeared from sight and off the radar. Anne knew that she was next and reattached her heels. She had a plan. Mina ran over to the other Androids to heal them.

"T-65, Miguel!" she cried out. "Are you okay?" The mound appeared once more behind her. She spotted it in time and was able to jump over its mass. The Dragon didn't seem to mind and kept its course straight, which would lead to Anne. The HUcaseal turned around and ran towards the wall, as the mound was about to overtake her. If she didn't act quickly, she would be crushed against the wall. She expertly ran a short distance up the wall, leaving the Dragon to slam into the solid stone, while she landed directly on top of it. The mound let out a muffled growl as it sank into the depths of the earth. In the middle of the cave, the Dragon burst of the ground and into the air spinning, leaving another fiery pool. By now, the Mags had exhausted themselves and stopped powering up.

"Gather around!" Mina called out. They all quickly assembled, as the Dragon hovered in the air regaining its senses. Mina then cast Resta to heal everyone and then used her own Deband and Shifta. Everyone could tell that hers were much stronger since they could feel more power flowing through them. When the Dragon landed and stomped toward them, they quickly ran under it and started attacking. The Dragon, which was starting to wear down, jumped straight into the air. Instinctively, everyone backed off to avoid being crushed or getting hit by a shockwave. As expected, the Dragon landed with a crash. T-65, who was still in range, took another shot while the others ran toward it. The Dragon flinched and began to stumble.

"Get back!" T-65 shouted. The Hunters quickly ducked out of the way. The Dragon let out a dying roar as it thunderously fell to the ground before a shrieking Mina could move out of the way.

"That had to hurt!" Miguel said, imagining the pain.

"Mom!" T-65 said running over to the Dragon's carcass.

"Don't worry," Anne said surely. "I always bring Moon Atomizers. The hard part will be getting her from under the..." She trailed off as the Dragon mysteriously faded away and into nothingness. Mina was lying flat on her back where the Dragon had been.

"Now that was creepy," Miguel commented before walking up to Mina. "Hey, are you okay?"

She moaned a reply, "Owwwh! _Watashi no mune.._owh!" Anne could actually be heard giggling slightly.

"You're gonna' be okay, Mom," he said assuringly, taking out a Monomate.

"You don't need to do that," Anne said, amused. "She's just in some pain, not really hurt at all."

"How do you know?" Miguel asked.

"Because she's flat-chested," Anne explained.

"Hey!" Mina lashed out, sitting up and hugging her pained chest. "It doesn't matter what size you are. It's still a sensitive area…"

"Single A's shouldn't cause you that much trouble," Anne chuckled. "If I were an organic like you, on the other hand, I might have some problems."

"Now see here!" Mina said, still holding herself as she stood up. "I'll have you know that I have AA's. And like I said, cup size…"

"I don't mean to interrupt your discussion, "Miguel said, "but weren't we supposed to figure out what happened to Pioneer 1. I'd also like to know where the hell we are right now. And how about that Dragon's disappearing act?"

"I think we're under Central Dome," T-65 said, looking around. "This cave looks like the underside of a dome. And that door over there looks like the one we couldn't get through before."

"But that would mean…" Mina began. "_Nan okoru ka?_" she mumbled.

"We're right back where we started," Anne said. "So what now?"

"I…guess we're done," Mina said, opening a Telepipe. "I'm stumped…and sore."

"So, how much are we getting paid?" Miguel asked.

"Two thousand Meseta for each of you," Mina said.

"Sounds like you've got money to blow," Miguel said.

"Let's just say that I have a well-to-do family," Mina said.

_Notes:_ My apologies for the really long chapter. Couldn't think of a good way to split it. Well, we got some answers about what happened along with some more questions. Since when did a dragon make residence in the Forest, let alone the Dome itself? We've also found mention of some of Mina's odd friends. If Nadja is like that, how are her other friends? And Chronos proved once again that he's no pansy. Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode of PSO: _Gaiden_. (That's side story for those of you that don't speak Japanese…not that I do…)

_On the next censor-angering episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ Mina struggles to make sense of the events that she witnessed on Ragol. She and the rest of the hunters are stuck at a dead end. In light of these events, she attempts to pursue more personal goals. Too bad a new, dangerous obstacle is taking shape on…"Vagrancies." And it ain't from Ragol. Time to put the kiddies to bed… Only Toonami!


	13. Vagrancies

**Chapter 13: Vagrancies**

A tall FOmarl in a crimson and black dress stepped out of a transporter, beginning the steady walk back to her condo. She had red eye shadow around the rim of her stern, narrow violet eyes, which made them seem even thinner. Her hair was as black as coal, with the exception of the red-tipped ends. She reached her door, with the only hint of fatigue being the stiffness of her walk. Upon opening the door, she was met by a shorter, female black Android with a gray skirt and buttoned blouse.

"Good afternoon," the Android said respectfully, standing aside. "How was your outing?"

"Good afternoon, Fina," the FOmarl replied stoically, as she entered her home. "I had mixed results."

"How so?" the Android known as Fina asked.

"My mission was completed with interesting results, yet…" the FOmarl began calmly, then irritably added, "later I was asked to perform several awkward tasks."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Fina sympathized.

"But no matter; he has paid for it, as they all do, and is no longer among us."

"Good," Fina replied. "Shall I have Nina cook your meal or would you like me to draw your bath?"

"A bath is certainly in order," the FOmarl said, walking to her room.

"Very well then, my Mistress," Nina bowed.

While in her room, the FOmarl started the process of changing into her house clothing, which consisted of removing all of her makeup and putting on a red bathrobe. Just as she finished, the phone rang. The caller ID identified the caller as B.P.

"Hello?" she answered. The screen showed a blank black picture.

"Am I speaking to Yami Megami?" a gruff voice asked.

"Yes," she replied. "What can I do for you?"

"What did you find on Ragol?" the voice asked bluntly. "What your _minion_ has told me, leads me to believe that you did not do as told. What's this about a dragon?"

"Guldo spoke truthfully," the Force answered. "The Central Dome has been destroyed from the inside. Dragons apparently find it to be an appealing dwelling as Kireek, Escuro, and myself encountered and successively destroyed several of them."

"_Several_ of them?" the man asked. "And don't you mean successfully?"

"We decided to only kill one each," the FOmarl explained patiently. "After leaving the dome for a time, another one inexplicably made residence there. The inner walls of the dome were melted, yet intact. I don't know anything else."

"Hmm," the man thought. "We'll have to discuss this at a meeting. I will let you know when and where." The screen then disappeared completely. As she was about to go bathe, the phone rang again.

"What is it?" she answered, expecting it to be the same person. Instead, the screen showed a familiar redheaded man.

"Hello…Megumi?" Chronos asked nervously, seeing her in a bathrobe. "Did I call at a bad time?"

"Not at all," she assured him, softening her tone. "I wasn't expecting you to call so soon. Most men wait for days before calling back."

"I just wanted to be prompt about calling you," Chronos explained. "You know, just checking in on things.

"Chronos," the Megumi said. "I must apologize for my behavior the other day."

"What do you mean?" Chronos asked baffled by what she was talking about.

"I was intoxicated that afternoon," Megumi admitted. "I am grateful for what you did."

"…I didn't even notice, Megumi," Chronos said with a smile. "You were just as articulate as you are now and your words weren't slurred at all."

"Certainly you noticed my unresponsiveness," Megumi said. "The way I didn't seem to pay attention to my surroundings or my inaccurate analysis of the situation. In fact, I can't remember anything before you intervened with those perverts."

"Sorry, but I didn't notice," Chronos said honestly.

Back at the apartment of the Chikara's, Mina and Alicia were meditating. It was not only a way to strengthen Alicia's aura, but also a way for them to contemplate explanations and solutions regarding the status of Ragol. Alicia was in a simple, yellow sundress. Mina had a lavender blouse with denim coveralls. To help herself with her recent "injury," she had packed some pads into her shirt, making her appear a bit top-heavy.

"Okay," Mina sighed. "That's enough for today. I just can't figure out what's going on. Did you get anything?"

"Just the usual bad vibes," Alicia replied wistfully. "Did Nadja find anything?"

"She won't answer the phone," Mina said bitterly.

"I see," Alicia said knowingly, humored.

"She really needs to get a boyfriend," Mina said, thinking. "Speaking o which, how's your love life?"

"I don't have one," Alicia said in an overly casual manner.

"Have you tried Simons Olo?" Mina suggested with a grin.

"Simons?" Alicia said nervously. "I don't really know about him…"

"I can remember his words from the day you told me you quit," Mina said teasingly. "Alicia, Alicia… Where have you gone? Why'd you quit your job?"

"Ahem, how about you?" Alicia asked, changing the subject. "Have you gotten any boyfriends since Seth?"

"No," Mina said, hiding a blush. "It's hard to find anyone when they think you're a kid."

"I'm sure not everyone feels that way," Alicia said positively. "So…did you ask him out yet?"

"Who?" Mina asked, not expecting such a question.

"You know who I'm talking about," Alicia said knowingly. "You mention him all the time."

"I don't know who you're talking about," Mina said, struggling not to blush.

"Fine," Alicia said mischievously. "I think he's cute in a royal sort of way. Do you think Chronos and I would make a good couple?"

"That's no fair!" Mina blurted. "I was just going to…um…never mind…" she said catching herself.

"Just going to what?" Alicia teased. "Ask him out on a date?" To this, Mina could not stop the rosy color covering her face. She sat there, unable to reply.

"Don't worry, Mina-chan," Alicia said, putting her hand on Mina's back playfully. "I'm just kidding."

"…Okay, you got me," Mina relented, realizing that her cousin had just tricked her. "He does seem like a nice guy. And like you said, he is _kawaii_."

"Well, what's taking you so long?" Alicia chided. "Call him!"

"I'm not ready yet," Mina said, looking away. "We've only known each other for just two weeks. We need to get to know each other a little better first."

"You'd better make your move soon," Alicia warned. "From the way you described him, men that good don't stay single for long."

"I know," Mina said, feeling like she was being lectured.

"All it takes is one date to get the ball rolling," Alicia continued. "If you don't make a move, then someone you might not even know will."

"I know," Mina said. "Why didn't you have any advice about Seth?"

"I wasn't around him long enough," Alicia explained. "My father kept shifting us back and forth between planets, remember? Besides, you two didn't need any help getting together… I still don't understand what happened to you two."

"Let's not get into that," Mina said a little somberly. "But that reminds me, we need to visit Claire more often. She's probably his only friend besides us, so she's the only chance we have of seeing him."

"I'll be sure to do that," Alicia said. "Now…what about Chronos?"

Megumi had finished talking to Chronos and taken her bath and was eating lunch.

"I hope you like your meal," said Nina, another Android servant, sitting at the other end of the table. Unlike citizen Androids, she had light tan synthetic skin and synthetic blonde hair that was cut short. She had a blue tank top, blue skirt with black bicycle shorts underneath, blue thigh-high boots, blue elbow-length gloves, and a blue headband. Obviously, she liked blue.

"It's as delectable as always," Megumi complimented, calmly eating.

"Pardon me, Mistress," Fina said, standing by, "but may I ask you a personal question."

"You may," Megumi answered with little hesitation.

"That man who called you…" she started nervously. "Is he your next…participant…?"

"…Possibly," Megumi said. "However, he seems different from the others."

"Like how?" Nina asked curiously.

"…Another time," Megumi said, pausing her meal. "I will elaborate after I test him myself."

"Yes, Mistress," the Androids said respectfully. At that moment, Guldo, the muscular redheaded Newman, entered the condo and walked into the room.

"Excuse me, my Mistress," he said hurriedly. "They wish to call a meeting in one hour concerning Ragol. It'll be on Deneb Room 3."

"Have the car ready in 20 minutes," Megumi said, continuing her lunch.

School had just been dismissed and Galactica was about to leave the building when she noticed T-65 standing near the front desk.

"What are you doing here?" Galactica asked suspiciously.

"Waiting for you," he said smugly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I just came to tell you something," T-65 said confidently. "I'm level 13 now. Beat that!"

"…Is that it?" Galactica said, unimpressed. "You came out of your way to meet me at work just to say that you think you're better than me?"

"I don't think I'm better than you. I _am_ better than you. I'm level 13 and you're stuck at 10."

"The only thing you're better at is making an idiot of yourself," Galactica said coldly. "But you know what?"

"What?" T-65 asked.

"You're right," she admitted. "I'm not level 13. **I'm level 15**!"

"…You're bluffin',"T-65 said unbelievingly. "I've been goin' to Ragol just about every day to get that strong. There's no way you could do that with this job."

"All it takes is dedication," Galactica said simply, walking toward the exit. "As such, I plan to go today."

"Hey, wait a minute," T-65 said, following her. "Don't you have teacher stuff to do?"

"It's done," she said, with a small smile. "Don't worry, T-65. You'll catch up…sooner or later."

Yami Megami, as a Force, was at the scheduled meeting on a hunter convoy ship called Deneb in room 3. The designated staff was at the main desk in the center of the circular room. The attendees were sitting around the edges of the room at tables near the plants and glass window showing a beautiful view of Ragol. They had decided to close the room to other hunters and have the lights dimmed. So far, the meeting was moving along quickly. Yami and her colleagues had told the rest of the group what they had seen.

"How long has it been since you came back?" asked a masked RAmar in red and black.

"About six hours," said the tall purple HUcast, Kireek.

"So what exactly happened to Central Dome?" asked another RAmar in red in black. "It appears to have been destroyed from the inside," said a white-haired FOmar in black with a small hat. His hair was so long that, if looked at from the right angle, one might think he was a woman.

"The inner walls have been turned nearly into glass," Yami noted. "The temperature would have to had been enormous."

"Maybe a Dragon burrowed into the Dome," the FOmar mused enjoyably. "It could have melted everything inside… burning everyone alive. I can only imagine their screams."

"Spare us your fantasies, Escuro," Yami said, annoyed. "Even if that was the case, there are no bodily remains."

"Hmph!" Escuro sounded, amused. "Then tell me my dear Xi, exactly what happened to the remains of those Dragons, hmm? Who's to say that the Dragon or Dragons didn't "heat" their food before eating, eh Xi? You don't even know if any remains had just been removed, do you? They could have just been buried since it's obvious that the beasts can dig. But I'll bet you didn't think of that, did you Xi?"

"You insolent little fool!" Yami growled, standing up from her seat. "How dare you publicly humiliate me! I don't see why I shouldn't…"

"Xi'san!" snapped another FOmarl in similar clothing. "That's enough. We have more important things at hand." She was shorter and had her hair tied in two balls by red ribbons. Her hair was so light that from a distance, it looked white or grey instead of the tinted blue that it was. It was too dark to see her face.

"Hmph!" Yami huffed, sitting down. "Very well, Loris.

"You should listen to your sister, Xi," Escuro taunted.

"Let's get back to the purpose of this meeting," Kireek said patiently. "What exactly should we do about the situation?"

"The Council has approved another transporter launching," said a mustached FOnewm. "Apparently, there's another area that Pioneer 1 didn't report. And from what I've heard, this new place is huge."

"If that's the case," Loris said, "we already have our work cut out for us."

"Investigate," clarified a HUcaseal, Felize. "Is this _la fin de la réunion_?"

"_Oui,_" Escuro said, standing up. "Unless anyone has any questions?" After seeing that everyone understood their future objective, the meeting was adjourned.

"Loris," said the FOmarl known by her false name Megumi Ite, her Force name Yami Megami, and her real name Xi'san Zano. "Guldo is waiting for us in the car. Follow me," she said, taking her sister's arm.

"Wait a second," Escuro said standing in front of the two. "Might I interest you two in a bit of fun?"

"Do you really want to die that badly?" Xi'san asked, aggravated by his presence.

"Hear me out," he chuckled. "Everyone knows your reputation as the Black Widow, Xi. Would you be interested in taking a trip down to Ragol to…how should I put this…find some newbie hunters. We could make a real killing!" His tone had a way of starting out silly and somewhat annoying, then ending in a low, almost threatening growl.

"There's no time for games," Loris said, moving him aside with her Cane. "Ragol will be too dangerous by sunset."

"Aw, you're no fun!" Escuro whined. "How about you, Xi?"

"The day I voluntarily join you for anything," Xi'san began, "will be the day Hell boils over. Let's go, Loris," she said, leading her sister to a transporter. _"But, that doesn't mean that I won't humor myself…"_

"Hey, Kireek," Escuro called to the HUcast. "How about…"

"Not interested," the Android responded quickly, leaving the room.

"So, what's the plan?" Alicia asked Mina. "Are you going to just directly ask him out?"

"Nooo…" Mina said, dialing a phone number. "We're going to try a group date. This way, it won't be so intimate so soon. Then we'll work from there."

"Hello?" Anne answered the phone, appearing on the screen. "Chica?"

"How'd you know my middle name?" Mina said, confused by the response.

"It's just a nickname I made up," Anne explained. "Listen, that whole thing about your, uh _chichis_… I was just pulling your tail. You didn't have to go and stuff your bra…Please tell me that's all you did because surgery's kinda…"

"It's only padding!" Mina interrupted her. "Just until they stop being sore. Are the other two around?"

"Right here," Miguel waved, passing by in the background. "Chronos didn't get back yet."

"He should be here soon," Anne commented. "What's up?"

"Would you like go to a restaurant with us and some others?" Mina asked. "Then maybe we could see a movie or something."

"Sounds good to me," Anne replied. "You up for it?"

"Sure," Miguel said. "As long as I can drink something. It's a little hard to eat anything when you don't have a mouth."

"I could build you a mouth," Mina said unexpectedly.

"Right," Anne chuckled. "Next, you'll be telling me you can give me eyebrows."

"I can do that too," Mina replied. "I can also give you a complete emoticon makeover with, eyelids, tears, and if you want them, eyebrows. It's a bit pricey though. I'd say around 20-50 thousand Meseta."

"She's serious!" Miguel exclaimed off screen.

"Have you done this before?" Anne asked.

"Of course," Mina said, beaming. "HUcaseals are the easiest to work with. You don't have to tell me now. Just think about it. Anyway, we'll pick you up in an hour or so."

"Yeah!" a young man said in a winded voice. "How do ya like that?"

"I'm not impressed," she said dully. "Just tell me when you're done."

"Oh, come on!" he exclaimed in frustration. "I've been going at it for 10 minutes already…"

"20 minutes," Xi'san corrected. "I'm disappointed."

"_You're_ disappointed?" he exclaimed. "_I_ paid for this. You should be doing the work."

"I have very _little_ to work with," she emphasized. "Are you even in?"

"The hell!" he yelled, half exhausted and half angry. "You could at least fake it!"

"Oh, you're so good," she said unenthusiastically. "My god. Don't stop. Oh. Ah. Harder."

"What a rip-off!" he exclaimed, pulling out and rolling away. "The 2 Meseta whores are better than this. You, on the other hand got 300 Meseta…and for this?"

"I'm assuming that you're finally done?" Xi'san asked, ignoring him for the most part.

"Get out!" he yelled, getting his pants. "That's the worst sex I've ever paid for."

"And the last," Xi'san said, with a small smile creeping across her face. She got up and closed her silk robes.

"So you're saying that I'm not good enough for anyone, huh?" he said, oblivious to her warning. "I'm tired of your bitching. Get the hell out of my house!"

"Very well, then," she said, stepping towards him. "Just one thing," she said, softly placing her hands on the sides of his face.

"What?" he asked, confused by her actions.

"Rest in peace," she smirked. Before he could think about what she had said, Xi'san twisted his head sideways, snapping his neck and killing him instantly. "It's so much more fun when they struggle, but this is so much more satisfying." After she gathered her things and casually took the rest of his Meseta, she glanced at his lifeless body and made a small flame appear above her index finger. As she left the room towards the front door, she tossed the flame behind her, instantly igniting him. As she left the residence, the fire quickly spread around the room.

"How do I look?" Mina asked, posing for Alicia.

"Fine," Alicia said. "The padding was all that needed to go."

"So the coveralls are okay?" Mina asked, nervously.

"It's just a get together of friends," Alicia said. "You don't need to overdress. I'm the one who should be trying to make impressions… This dress isn't too bright is it? I didn't have anything to wear so I had to borrow it from Caseal."

"It makes a nice contrast with your hair," Mina complimented. "So are we ready to go?" Just then the front door slid open. The two knew it was T-65, because they could hear him walking in. They didn't expect what they saw though.

"Mom, GA's hurt!" he said, holding the RAcaseal in both arms. She was wet and burnt, cluing them in that she went to Ragol.

"I'm…fine," she said, sounding exhausted. "Put me down!"

"Alicia," Mina said to her cousin, "could you get some cleaner and WD-40 for me? They're in the closet."

"Sure," Alicia complied.

"This really isn't necessary," Galactica said airily. "T-65, could you please put me down.?" The RAcast looked to Mina, who nodded in response.

"Okay, just be careful," he said, letting Galactica stand on her own.

"See," Galactica said, beginning to walk. "I told you…I was fine." Soon she stumbled and was about to fall over when Mina caught her.

"Just lie down," Mina said calmly, as Alicia returned. "Take it easy. Everything's going to be fine." Galactica sank to her knees and shakily lied down on her back."

"Here you go," Alicia said, handing Mina the cleaner and a cloth as she knelt with her. "It looks like you had a rough time."

"You could say that," Galactica said, leaving her eyelids half open.

"Thank you for bringing her back T-65," Mina said, pouring some of the cleaner on the cloth. "Could you leave the room for a moment?"

"Sure," he said, heading for his room.

"We'd better get rid of these soaked clothes," Mina said, beginning to remove the Android's clothing.

"So what happened?" Alicia said, letting Galactica sip WD-40 from a straw.

"I went to Ragol," Galactica said plainly. "You know how it can be."

"You're not telling us everything," Alicia said, removing the large bow on the Android's head, revealing her hard black and orange "helmet hair" and the softer, orange chain-like hair underneath.

"There's not much to tell," Galactica said, taking off her gloves and ripping off her burned choker.

"You know that's not true," Mina said soothingly, wiping Galactica's face and hair with the cloth. "You can tell your mommy and aunty."

"Every hunter gets hurt like this at some point," Alicia said. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's not like what happened to your mother."

"What did happen to you Mother?" Galactica asked, now noticing the absence of padding.

"A 50 ft. Dragon fell on me," Mina said, smiling gently. "I suppose that is a bit funny."

"And I got smacked by a Hildebear," Alicia added lightheartedly, removing Galactica's boots and armlets. "So you see, we all have our moments."

"Now tell us what happened to you," Mina said, wiping the burns away from the Android's face.

"It was… the Dragon," Galactica said. "Chronos was there too."

"He was?" Alicia said, letting her take another sip. "Where is he now?"

"I think…he went home," Galactica said, sounding woozier. "He looked exhausted."

"And so do you," Mina said. "Go to sleep-mode. You need to rest so that your auto-repair systems can work faster."

"But…okay," Galactica relented, slowly sitting up. "Let me just…get to my recharge station." She managed to get to a wobbly stance before falling into Mina's arms again. "Dammit," she cursed, beginning to sob in frustration.

"Shh, it's okay," Mina whispered, hugging her softly. "Alicia, hold the door open for me.

"Right," the taller woman said, opening the automatic door and keeping it from sliding closed.

"You don't have to…" Galactica whined tiredly. "I can do this by…myself."

"Galactica, you have to know your limits," Alicia said.

"Hup," Mina grunted, lifting the Android. "Still haven't lost any weight I see…Galactica?"

"She finally went to sleep," Alicia said, letting Mina carry Galactica through the doorway. "It's strange that she's one of the few Androids who don't have skin, but have eyelids. You can actually tell when she's not active… Mina… do they have dreams?"

"I know this one does," Mina said, laying Galactica in her pod. "Sweet dreams."

"We'd better call and tell them we can't make it today," Alicia said, as they exited Galactica's room. As soon as Mina reached to turn on the phone, it sounded, "Phone call!"

"_Moshi-moshi?_" she answered. It was Miguel.

"Uh hi," Miguel answered nervously. "Listen, we can't make it tonight."

"We were just about to call for the same reason," Mina said, astonished.

"Chronos is pretty wiped," Miguel said.

"He went straight to bed without saying anything," Anne said off-screen. "He didn't even bother to change out of his uniform."

"We had a similar situation with Galactica," Mina said. "Apparently, they fought the Dragon."

"I see that the swelling has gone down," Miguel joked, noting the absence of Mina's ample chest.

"It was just padding!" Mina complained, trying to keep her voice low so as not to disturb Galactica.

"I couldn't resist," Miguel laughed. "It just seems to be the running gag of the day."

_Notes:_ I like that ending. Who would of thought that a chapter that seemed so…vagrant could have turned out so nice? Notice that in that "censor-angering" scene, I didn't get too descriptive. Number one, I don't want the rating to go past R. Number two, I like to leave something to the imagination (IOW: I'm lazy). And what to call this new lady? How about this: as a Force: _Yami Megami, _to the strangers and the general populace: Megumi Ite, at her own home or other discreet area: Xi'san Zano. Just know that it's the same person.

_On the next (long) episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ It's a little bit of everything in this one. T-65 and Xero heedlessly venture into the newest area found on Ragol. Both Galactica and Chronos take it easy to recover. The Nei School is doing things a little differently because of technical difficulties, so Misha and Taya get to test some of their gaming skills. Alicia visits an old friend. Even Xi'san is in this one. Who isn't in this wild episode of "Sick Day For All"? What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger… Only Toonami!


	14. Sick Day for All

**Chapter 14: Sick Day For All**

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," Mina chimed, standing over Galactica's pod.

"Wha?" Galactica sounded, as she came back online. "Mother?"

"How are you feeling?" Mina asked. "Do you want any WD-40?"

"No, thank you," Galactica replied, sitting up. "My auto-repair is complete. All systems are…functioning normally. Where are my clothes?"

"I had to clean and dry them," Mina answered. "Just use one of your other sets. I also took the liberty of making some in other colors…you know, just in case you wanted something different."

"Thank you," Galactica said, lifting herself out of the pod and onto her feet. "I need to get to work now." As she began to walk away, she started to sway before stumbling.

"Whoa, there!" Mina cautioned, catching the Android before she fell. "You still need to rest. You may be repaired, but your energy hasn't fully recharged yet."

"I will simply have to deal with it," Galactica reasoned, standing back up. "I must get to work on time."

"It's much too late for that," Mina warned with a mischievous smile. "It's almost noon. You slept like a rock. Besides, I already called the Nei School and told them you couldn't come in today. So, you might as well just stay here and take it easy. Chronos is doing the same."

"Sigh…Fine," the RAcaseal relented. "I just hope that Isis won't mind too much."

"Where are they?" Misha asked out loud. So far, the class didn't have a teacher and the students were just talking amongst themselves.

"Maybe their batteries ran out?" a black-haired boy suggested humorously.

"Shut up, Jared!" Misha barked. "Androids don't just run out of batteries!"

"Maybe they got sick?" a blue-haired boy suggested.

"Huh?" the whole class said in confusion.

"Y'know, a computer virus," he joked meekly.

"…You suck at jokes, Van," Misha said, arching her eyebrow.

"No wait, Misha," Taya said, worriedly. "He might be right. I hope they're okay."

"Don't worry, little one," said a young lady, entering the room. She was very tall, but she did not have a large or thin frame. She was fair-skinned, with blue eyes, and golden hair weaved into a long ponytail. She was obviously a Human, since she had no long pointed ears. She wore a grey dress that seemed to have the same basic design as the students. "Galactica and Isis are fine. They are just having technical difficulties right now. They should be in tomorrow."

"Who're you?" Misha asked, studying this new person.

"Caseal!" two sea green-haired girls cheered, running over and hugging the lady. The other students didn't know what to make of this. The two twins hadn't been known to be so affectionate towards anyone but each other. They also happened to be the oldest Newmans in the class.

"Hello, Kroe, Anna," the lady smiled affectionately. "You've grown so much since I last saw you. Are you doing well?"

"We're Hunters, now!" exclaimed Anna, who had straighter, more rigid hair. "We missed you so much."

"The orphanage has been treating us well," said the calmer Kroe, who had two bangs and softer hair. "Are you our substitute?"

"Very good," Caseal responded before turning her attention to the rest of the class. "Children, I am your substitute teacher for today. You may call me Caseal."

"Can I call you Cassy?" Taya asked, raising her hand.

"Sure," Caseal answered warmly.

"Can we call you Honey?" asked Jared, speaking for the boys who all had a dreamy look on their faces. At this question and the sight of these young Newmans looking at her like that, Caseal immediately blushed, but was able to suppress it shortly after. She noticed that many of the girls were visibly irked by this.

"Um…let's just take things a step at a time," Caseal said nervously. It wouldn't be long before these boys started becoming young men. "Anyway, there is no lesson plan for me to follow, so I made a suggestion to the school. I think you'll all like what I have in store for you."

"So, what is it?" Misha asked with intrigue.

"We're going to have our own little tournament," Caseal said. "Did everyone bring their Phantasy Monster decks?" Almost everyone in the class rejoiced at this turn of events. All except for one very quiet girl in the back.

"You're the best Caseal!" Anna cheered.

"She's cool with me," Misha said to Taya.

"I love you!" cried one of the boys, briefly reddening Caseal's face.

"Marry me!" exclaimed another.

"What does the champion win?" Kroe asked.

"A date with Caseal!" exclaimed the boys.

"Settle down, boys," she said, deeply flattered. "To become champion, you'll not only have to defeat the rest of the class, but also some special players…like me. You can still win the tournament without beating us, but you'll get a better prize if you do beat us. Everyone gets extra credit just for participating. Finalists will receive rare cards. The champion's prize is a secret. There will also be a separate tourney for teams of two."

"Won't something like this take some time?" Kroe asked.

"That's why this event will last until the weekend," Caseal said. "And just to add some more fun, your extra credit grades will be based on competitive language." The class again burst into cheering, still with the exception of that one girl who actually didn't care much for cards.

"Miguel?" Chronos asked, staring at the soup he was eating on the couch. He was in a blue robe. "What did you put in this?"

"Why do ya want to know?" Miguel asked, walking out of the kitchen. "Not too cold, not too hot, but juuuust right."

"It tastes…odd," he said, putting his tongue to the spoon.

"Like how?" Anne asked, lifting weights in a corner.

"Like alcohol, salt, and…oil!" he said with shock.

"Yeah, so," Miguel asked innocently. "I've seen plenty of people put oil in their food before."

"That's cooking oil!" Chronos shouted. "This is NOT cooking oil."

"That's the last time you cook," Anne said, taking a seat next to Chronos.

"Everybody's a critic," Miguel mumbled.

"Let's see what's on today," Anne said, turning on the holovision. The current channel was about news.

"And now we bring you Nol Rinale who is live at the scene," said the anchorman.

"Thanks, Jim," said the Newman. She was in front of a burnt out building. "I am currently standing in front of what officials are calling an arson. Here in Sector 8, it is common to find all sorts of malicious acts, but what happened here at around 5:00 last night was much more uncommon. Officials suspect that someone managed to start a large fire in one of the hotel rooms. However, they are unsure of how and where it happened. Fortunately, there was only one fatality caused by the fire, while several people have suffered non-life-threatening injuries." The screen then changed to a white military class Android.

"At this time," he said professionally, "we are unsure of who might have caused the fire. There wouldn't have been any gain in destroying this establishment since Androids, Newmans, and Humans come here. The only casualty was a light tan Human of average height and build. We are not releasing his name at this point in time. He died of incineration. That is all the information we can release at this time." The screen then changed back to Nol.

"Officials also state that the crime was probably not connected to local radical gangs, the Newks and 'Droids," Nol said. "However, they are not ruling them out. The prime suspect is most likely a Chaotic. Reporting live from Sector 8 for PON Channel 4, this is Nol Rinale. Back to you, Jim."

"There's always something wrong with that Sector," Anne commented, changing the channel. "And no one's going to do a thing about it. _Militares de mierda._"

"It can't be helped," Chronos said, abandoning his soup. "There are more important things to worry about right now."

"Like getting you some edible food," Anne said, walking to the kitchen. "Hey, Miguel, save some of that soup for later."

"I don't know what he's complaining about," Miguel said. "Tastes alright to me."

"I'll take over from here," she said, pushing him out of the kitchen. "All he needs are some _naranjas._"

"Knock, knock," Escuro said, knocking at a door. He wasn't in his Force outfit, but he was still dressed in black robes. "Open uuup." A short lady in a crimson dress opened the door. She had tan skin and short black hair. He could tell that it was an Android from empty look of her glassy dark eyes.

"Come in," she said, staring at him with her blank eyes. When Escuro walked in, he saw five other "servants." They all paused to glance at him. Two other synthetically skinned Androids were there. One of them was Nina, in the usual blue. The other was a tall dark-haired male whose skin was blue while his clothes were white. They and the red Android quickly lost interest in Escuro. However, the other three kept their eyes locked on Escuro. One of them was Guldo, the only one standing up straight. Another one was a pale-faced Human male, covered in cloth to keep most of his head concealed. He was leaning against a wall in his trench coat, moving his black stringy hair out of his eyes. The last one was an albino female Newman in a pink blouse and black dress, with a hairstyle similar to Loris's twin-ball look, and sat on the floor between the two. Of all three, she seemed to glare the most threateningly at him. All three seemed to be guarding a door. The other remaining person was a short, blue-haired, Newman girl looking nervous amongst all the people staring at Escuro.

"Hmm, I guess they wanted to travel in comfort," Escuro said to himself whimsically. "I'm here to see the Zano sisters."

"They are with Master Zin at the moment," the albino replied coldly.

"They are not to be disturbed," Guldo added. "Those are Mistress Xi'san's specific orders."

"I guess that I'll just have to interrupt their little family reunion," Escuro shrugged, stepping forward. Each guard immediately stood in his way.

"You will _not_ see them," the Human said sternly, revealing a katana beneath his trench coat. "You may wait until they are ready for you."

"Touchy," Escuro said, sitting in a chair. "May I have a drink? Or do I have to be threatened first?"

"Rupika," the Human called to the blue-haired Newman. "Get this clown some water."

"So, let me get this straight," T-65 said to Xero. They were on the Hunter's Deck. "You beat a Dragon?"

"Yep," Xero smiled.

"All by yourself?" T-65 questioned disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Xero said proudly.

"And you're level what?"

"Nine, man!" Xero said, getting tired of all the questions. "Now're we gonna' do this or what?"

"As long as you think your ready," T-65 shrugged. "I'll bet you went to the hospital as soon as you got back."

"…So what? Get off my balls, man," Xero said defensively, as they walked to the transporter.

"Fine," T-65 shrugged, as they teleported to the new area, Caves. It had taken numerous launches to get a transporter to that location, which was somewhere under the Central Dome. The first thing they noticed when they materialized was the heat.

"Damn, it's hot as shit in here!" Xero cried out, already beginning to sweat.

"So it's a little warm," T-65 said, shrugging off the heat. "Your suit should give you enough shielding to take the heat." They appeared to be in a small cavern with a very high ceiling. The rocky walls looked very similar to the area under Central Dome where they had fought the Dragon. In front of them, was a large metal door with green lights.

"It's quiet," T-65 noted.

"Too quiet," Xero added. It was absolutely silent, with the exception of Xero's breathing. "Watch my back." He stepped toward the door, which raised open. Both hunters were stunned by what they saw. It was a huge cave with lava flows on both sides.

"I always thought lava would make it hotter," T-65 noted. "Better watch your step." As soon as they stepped out of the doorway, there was a familiar sound. Bright green lights appeared all over the room, as several greenish creatures appeared. They had bright blue scythes for arms and walked on two feet. Their heads looked like those of sharks, except they were disproportionately large for their rather slim bodies, and had 3 pairs of red eyes.

"What the hell are those?" Xero asked, backing up as the creatures hissed and began walking towards them.

"…No data," T-65 said, looking at his ISL. He made a warning shot with his Rifle, hoping to scare them away. They didn't seem to notice at all and kept walking. "I guess we gotta' fight," he said, firing at the creatures. Unlike the Boomas in the Forest, these sharks actually made an effort to dodge some shots by bobbing their heads or swaying to the side.

"Here it goes!" Xero yelled, beginning his assault on the same one that T-65 was shooting at. Both of them missed an unnerving amount of shots and slashes as the monster either sidestepped or blocked with its claws. "Ah!" Xero yelled, getting knocked down by a counter-strike. Immediately, a trap exploded from T-65, freezing all of the sharks. T-65 continued to shoot, finally killing one of the monsters, which hissed as it fell into the ground. Xero got to his feet, taking a Monomate and resuming his attack on the frozen beasts.

"They're like Goboomas," T-65 noted, still shooting. The ice quickly melted from the surrounding heat, allowing the sharks to move closer. The hunters instinctively strafed around behind them so they wouldn't be backed into a corner. The sharks never lost their gaze on them. The hunters, who had plenty of room, now, continued their attack. Two more sharks went down, hissing in pain. The remaining two double-teamed Xero, who was the closest to them. While one blocked Xero's Saber with its claw, the other bit down onto his left wrist.

"Damn sharks!" Xero exclaimed, trying to wiggle it off while struggling not to be overpowered by the other. Fortunately for him, his shield was protecting his wrist. T-65 moved in to help by shooting the shark on the right at close range. Its death allowed Xero to fend off the shark that was biting him. With T-65's help, the last shark was killed. Before they could congratulate each other, the strange sound signaled the arrival of more company. On both sides of them, appeared two giant white lilies.

"Flowers?" T-65 said, as the plants seemed to stare at them by bending towards them. One tilted back and spat green slime onto him. Then, it began to snicker tauntingly. "What the hell is this?" T-65 asked, trying to wipe the goo off himself.

"I'm not about to find out!" Xero said, running at the nearest plant, preparing to cut it. Just before he could make contact, the blossom closed into a bud as the stalk stood straight up and emitted some sort of screeching sound. Xero's arms and legs immediately went numb and he nearly fell into the plant.

"What's wrong?" T-65 asked, seeing Xero barely able to stand.

"I can't feel anything!" Xero cried out. The plant then seemed to peck Xero in the chest, knocking him back. "They can bite!" T-65 then felt another blob splash against his back. He turned around to see the same flower that had done it before, laughing again. He silenced it by shooting the bud, which tried to bend out of the way, but was an easy kill at such close range. Despite Xero's numbness, he was still able to move, so he backed away from the flower near him. It then spit green slime onto him. Unlike T-65, he immediately felt sickly. He regained feeling in his limbs, but they began to ache, as did his sides. T-65 killed the plant with several shots to the bud.

"Can you feel anything, now?" T-65 asked sarcastically, noticing Xero's obvious pain. Again, the teleporting noise sounded. The first thing they noticed were two larger red sharks that hissed at the door they had come through. What truly surprised them was what appeared right next to them. With scales, claws, and two large wings, it appeared to be a miniature dragon, though it was still bigger than them. It stared at them, seemingly locking itself into position. It unexpectedly fired a large blue laser that plowed through T-65 and into the sharks.

"Screw this!" Xero exclaimed, pulling up T-65. "Let's get outta' here!" he said breaking into a run to the door. The RAcast followed suit, fed up with the Caves. They shoved pass the sharks just as the angered dragon fired four smaller beams that seemed to home in on each hunter and shark. The sharks were blasted into the lava, while the hunters were blasted through the open doorway, landing on the transporter. Dazed, they teleported back to Pioneer 2 without even getting up.

"With this card," the Newman boy, Jared, announced, "I'll destroy any hope you have of making it to the finals!" It was a team game with Jared and his friend, Van, against Misha and Taya. They were in the gym surrounded by the rest of the class, with it being the last game of the day. All of the monsters were full-scale holograms in the middle. The score was even with each team only having a total of 500 HP left. Van had summoned a powerful humanoid ice monster that had icicles poking out of its head and back, called Frostman. Jared had summoned a cloaked ghoul called Evil Dead and a Zombie. Misha had a large mech-like robot called Loader while Taya had a weak puddle monster called Blue Slime.

"He's pretty good with his language," Caseal complimented from the sidelines.

"Just make your move!" Misha shouted, growing impatient.

"Fine," Jared smirked. "I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon one of the most powerful monsters in Phantasy Monsters!" he said, as the undead monsters sank into the ground.

"_Repetitive word use_," Caseal noted.

"Now witness my unstoppable red-eyed White Dragon!" he yelled, as a large, icy blue dragon appeared, flapping just above the ground. "Attack the Loader with your Fire Breath!" The fire instantly incinerated the Loader, costing Misha 100 HP. "Your move."

"Show off," Misha muttered, drawing her card. "Sigh I'll summon Monitor in defense mode and place two face down cards on the field." A small floating sphere of a machine appeared. "Done. See how simple that was?" Van then drew his card and immediately placed it on the playing field.

"I'll play my magic card, Arctic Glacier," he announced, "which freezes the entire field, raising Frostman's speed, strength, and defense. Sorry, Taya, but I've gotta' do this. Frostman, attack the Blue Slime with Ice Spike!" The monster extended a sharp ice arm at the slime, piercing it.

"You just activated two effects!" Taya said cheerfully. "First, I'll activate my trap card, Assimilate, which lets my Blue Slime absorb your Frostman and get stronger!" The Blue Slime then covered the entire ice monster, growing twice as large.

"What?!" Van exclaimed. Jared shook his head in disgust.

"Your magic card also activated my monster's special effect!" Taya announced. "Ice makes my Blue Slime split and since you turned the field into ice _and_ attacked with an ice monster, it splits into five equally strong slimes." Her entire section was covered in blue goop.

"Way to go Taya!" Misha cheered her on.

Van groaned and said, "Wing Eye in defense mode." A small blue-winged eye appeared, lying on the ground. "Your go." Taya drew her card and paused for a moment in thought.

"First, I'll play Reverser," she said, laying down a magic card, "to bring back Misha's Loader." A wire frame appeared in Misha's section and was restored into her monster. "Next, I'll tribute two of my Blue Slimes to summon my rare Medusa." A serpent-tailed lady appeared with snakes for hair. "Then, I'll switch my other slimes to defense mode and attack White Dragon with Stone Cold Stare!" Medusa's eyes began to glow red and both Van's Wing Eye and Jared's White Dragon were petrified, although only destroying Van's monster since it was in defense mode and very weak. Both boys were stunned that their monsters had been beaten so easily. "Then, I'll put one card face down. It's your turn, Jared," she said enthusiastically, as the White Dragon hit the ground with a crash.

"Nice card," Jared rasped, drawing his next card, "but it won't save you. I'll play this ritual card, Call of the Dragon. When a dragon is severely injured like mine, this card allows me to summon up to three other dragons from my deck or hand."

"Aw man!" Misha whined, as Jared picked three cards from his deck.

"Three dragons are better than one!" he continued. "Behold, the Green, Red, and Gold Dragons!" The three giant winged lizards appeared on the field roaring and then biting onto the petrified White Dragon. "Oh yeah… They also eat the fallen dragon, raising their attack power just enough to beat your Medusa. Lucky for you, I can't attack on this turn. So, I'll just put a card face down and end my turn." Misha drew her card.

"Nice!" she said. "I'll tribute my Monitor to summon Sinow Kwin." In the small machine's place appeared a green robot that looked like a large, but primitive RAcast. "Then I'll have Loader attack Van directly with Laser Shot." The larger robot turned toward the defenseless Newman and shot a green laser at him. He flinched from the impact, losing the rest of his HP.

"It's up to you, man!" he shouted to Jared, who nodded in response.

"Not done yet," Misha warned. "Then I'll use Sinow Kwin's Strong Arm ability on Green Dragon." The green robot then picked up the Loader. "It sacrifices another monster to strengthen Sinow Kwin's attack." Sinow Kwin then tossed the Loader at the weakest monster, with Loader firing its laser the whole time and pestering the lizard. It self-destructed on impact, destroying the monster in an explosion. "That ends my turn," she smirked.

"_These kids might be tougher than I thought,_" Caseal thought to herself.

"It wasn't strong enough to take away any of my HP," Jared said, not impressed. "So consider that a lucky shot." Since Van was out, Taya was able to draw her card.

"Yay!" she squealed. "I'll tribute my two Blue Slimes to use one of my most powerful monsters…and it's a rare Dark type." The crowd gasped as a frightening creature appeared in black sparkles of darkness. It looked like a tall, skinny man, except very mutated. Most of its body was black, gray, and brown. It had a thin waist, rotten skin, and two claws on each foot. The most startling part of the creature were its arms; the right arm was a saber made of bone, while its left arm ended in three slimy tentacles. It also seemed to have torn material, skin or cloth, hanging from it, especially in the area where its head should have been.

"Now that's a monster," Misha commented, impressed with the appearance of the monster in 3-D.

"What is that…thing?" Jared asked, unnerved.

"One of my favorites," Taya answered, her voice becoming uncharacteristically malevolent. "The legendary Shadow Saber… What's the matter, Jared? Afraid?""

"I…I'm not afraid of some freak!" Jared stammered. "I've got two dragons at full strength."

"Wrong!" Taya yelled. "Medusa, use Stone Cold Stare on Red Dragon!" The serpent lady's gaze turned the red beast to stone, but didn't destroy it. "Then, I'll use Shadow Saber to attack Gold Dragon with Claw Cut!" The hideous creature leaped across the field to the last active dragon, slashing across its belly and leaving a large gash. "Your turn," she said, returning to her sunny voice. He drew his card, nervous of her mentality.

"First I'll play this magic card, Reset," he said, "which let's me return my Gold Dragon to my hand." This action only left the petrified Red Dragon on the field. "Then I'll summon Octopus…"

"Hold it!" Misha shouted. "I'll activate my trap card, Turncoat, which let's me take control of a monster that you just summoned." A large, purple octopus appeared in her section. It had no eyes, just gnashing teeth.

"Whatever," Jared shrugged. "I'll reveal my face down card, Call of the Dragon. I've got one left and it's the strongest. Ain't no way you're gonna' beat this one. It's the supreme Blue Dragon!" It looked like the White Dragon, except it was darker and bigger. The Gold Dragon also reappeared, now at full strength as both bit into the Red Dragon. "Are you obsessed with dragons or somethin'?" Misha asked, weary of his latest monsters.

"They're the strongest and I'll prove it!" he said, laying two cards face down. "Now make your move!" Misha drew her card and went into brief thought. "Now you hold it!" Jared said, visibly annoying her. "I'll activate my trap card, Passover. It skips the rest of your turn."

"Bullshit!" Misha exclaimed angrily.

"Misha!" Caseal scolded. "Watch you language!"

"Sorry," she apologized half-heartedly. Taya drew a card.

"Medusa," Taya ordered, "attack Blue Dragon." Medusa's eyes began to glow.

"And I'll activate my other trap," Jared announced, "Friendly Fire. I'll use it to have Medusa take out that…thing!" Medusa then turned toward the Shadow Saber.

"I'll counter with Mirror Shield!" Taya said quickly, flipping her face down card. A giant mirror appeared in front of Medusa, resulting in her own petrifaction. "Then I'll use Shadow Saber to attack Gold Dragon!" The monster again leaped to the dragon with another slash.

"My turn!" Jared said, drawing his card. "Now I'll have my Gold Dragon annihilate that vulnerable Medusa. Attack with Thunder Claw!" The Gold Dragon stepped toward the statue to slash it.

"I've got another trap!" Misha taunted, flipping her other face down card. "Trade-off negates your attack, sacrifices her monster, and lets me draw another card." The Gold Dragon returned to its spot as the statue disappeared.

"Thanks," Taya smiled gratefully.

"Fine," Jared said, annoyed. "I'll just get rid of the freak with Blue Dragon's Fireball!"

"What a lame name for an attack," Misha mumbled, as the dragon blew the flame from its mouth and towards the Shadow Saber.

"It's no use attacking it like that," Taya said, returning to the wicked voice. The Shadow Saber raised its claw and tentacles just as the flames got within a few inches. The projectile dispersed on contact, leaving it unharmed.

"What happened?" Jared exclaimed. "Why didn't it get destroyed? Is the game glitching out?"

"It's Shadow Saber's special ability," Taya said condescendingly. "Only certain attacks can hurt it." The Shadow Saber seemed to agree by shaking its claw at Jared. Jared started to seethe, signaling Misha to draw her card.

"I'll activate this field card," Misha smirked. "It's called Dark Factory. It raises the stats of all machine or dark monsters." Metallic flooring and conveyor belts replaced the ice field. Her Sinow Kwin became more polished, with a little electrical discharge being given off. The Shadow Saber gained purple armor and its blade began to glow through a sequence of neon colors. "Then, Sinow Kwin will use its Strong Arm to attack Gold Dragon with Octopus." The robot picked up the animal and tossed it at the Gold Dragon. The Octopus latched onto the dragon's neck with its sharp teeth and both were destroyed as the mighty beast fell to the ground and crushed the sea creature. "And it's Taya's turn. Take 'em down."

Jared retorted, "You won't beat my…"

"Unstoppable Blue Dragon," Taya mocked him, drawing her card. "Blah, blah, blah. Ultimate dragon this, invincible dragon that. I'll use this card, Half-life. After sacrificing half of my HP, your monster is destroyed, with half of its health being subtracted from your HP."

"No!" Jared screamed, as his Blue Dragon split in half, disappeared, and took a large chunk out of his remaining HP.

"Shadow Saber!" Taya said with flare. "Let's do a combo attack." The Shadow Saber then walked up to Jared. Being much taller than the Newman, Jared shrunk back from the monster. It then swung wildly at him. After he managed to dodge three slashes, it used its tentacles to smack him to the ground. "We win!"

"Great job, girls!" Caseal cheered.

"Hey, Taya!" Van called, walking up to her. "That was a nice move. I'll bet there isn't anyone better than you at Phantasy Monsters. And Misha's pretty good too."

"Thank you," Taya said, flattered.

"Not so invincible, huh Jared?" Misha taunted him, as he got back to his feet.

"Pft." He shrugged, straightening his uniform. "I let you two win."

"Yeah, right!" Misha retorted. "You had like a hundred dragons coming at us, saying 'My dragons can beat anyone!' and they all got slaughtered."

"It wouldn't be right if I just crushed a couple of girls with my best monsters," he replied coolly. "Besides, it was Van's idea," he said, grinning at Van. "He just wanted to be nice to little Taya."

"Shut up, man!" Van snapped, blushing. "I didn't make you lose!"

"Someone's got a crush," Misha taunted.

"That's so cuuuute!" Taya said unexpectedly.

"Huh?" Van sounded. "It is?"

"Uh huh," Taya nodded, smiling.

"Then, uh…" Van stuttered. "Will you…uh…would you…"

"Okay," Taya replied before he could finish. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, as she and Misha left. Van was stunned.

"Well, whadya know," Jared said, tousling Van's hair. "You got a girlfriend. I guess I could just go for her catty friend. Maybe you'll have better luck with Taya than you did with Serenity," he said, glancing at the brunette reading in the corner.

"Sheesh," Escuro said, looking at the clock on his ISL. "Isn't 45 minutes enough?" Then, Fina, the black Android, walked out of the guarded room with a dish full of teacups and handed them to Nina. Then, she noticed Escuro.

"You may enter," she said, walking back into the room.

"It's about time," he said, going to the room. "I could've been doing other things by now." On a large, but low circular bed sat Loris. Sitting on large pillows before her were Xi'san and another robed man. He had long reddish-brown hair, a light tan face, and green eyes. All three were in mantles, surrounded by potpourri and other aromatics.

"Escuro," Xi'san greeted, putting down her teacup. "What an unpleasant surprise."

"I knew you'd miss me," Escuro responded playfully. "I see that you decided to have a little family get-together."

"What brings you to my humble abode?" Loris asked with her eyelids shut.

"Straight to the point, eh?" Escuro noted. "Well, then. It seems that our scouts have found some potential in the Caves. However, they are having a bit of difficulty with the local wildlife. I was told to look for any volunteers who might want to be of some assistance."

"What's the matter," Zin asked mockingly. "Can't handle it yourself?"

"The more assistance we get," Escuro retorted, "the smoother things should be. And furthermore, I won't be available for a few days."

"I will not go," Loris responded plainly.

"I might go," Xi'san said. "Couldn't they have sent another messenger besides you?"

"May I remind you that I am the only person that knows where both you and your sister live?" Escuro said in a gravelly voice.

"I'm willing to go on one condition," Zin said shrewdly.

"What?" Escuro asked, expecting an unpleasant answer.

"If I do this favor for you," Zin smiled, "then you'll have to have dinner with me sometime."

"I don't think so," Escuro said, taken aback. "Where did you get that idea?" he asked, grimacing at Xi'san who had a barely visible smile on her face. "Anyway, I also came here to speak with Xi…………..alone."

"…Well," Loris said, noticing no movement and opening her blue eyes. "Take it outside. I won't be shooed out of my own room." Xi'san and Escuro stepped out into the main room and into the kitchen.

"Nina, Ren," Xi'san said to the blue Androids. "We need to talk. Please give us a moment." The two Androids went into the main room with the rest.

"Were they yours?" Escuro asked, watching them leave.

"The blue-skinned one belongs to Zin," Xi'san said. "Now, what do you want?"

"Have you watched the news lately?" Escuro asked quizzically.

"I've been busy," she replied defensively.

"You should make time for it," he said more sternly. "You've been getting reckless."

"Explain," Xi'san said, becoming offended.

"Your promiscuities are drawing too much attention," he clarified. "After taking care of business, you obviously started a fire at some hotel in Sector 8. It was all over the news. Fortunately for you, they don't know who started it and how."

"I already know," she said with a mix of irritability and shame, surprising Escuro. "Loris already scolded me, so if that's all you have to tell me, you can leave." She abruptly turned around and walked back to the bedroom.

"Hmph," he said, leaving the home. "Forty-five minutes for that… Oh, well. The look on her face was good enough. Until next time."

"Hey, sis," Zin said to Xi'san, as she entered the room. "I thought you said he liked men." At this, Loris couldn't help but giggle.

"I never said that," Xi'san said, with a small smile. "I only said that you had a chance with him."

"He favors both genders," Loris explained, humored. "But, you seem to be the only person that unnerves him. Not even Xi'san can scare him the way you did."

"Hurray for me," Zin said dryly.

"Excuse me, Loris?" Rose, the red Android said, entering the room.

"Rose?" Loris asked, looking in her general direction. "What is it?"

"A Ranger is here to speak with you about Rupika," Rose explained.

"The Newman girl?" Loris asked.

"Yes," Rose answered. "He wants to make sure that she has recovered from her injuries since she was brought back from Ragol. He also mentioned something about a chip."

"What was his name?" Loris asked, getting up. Her hands searched for her Cane on the bed until Xi'san handed it to her.

"Bernie," Rose answered.

"What is going on?" Mina complained, following a nurse through the hospital. She was in her Force outfit.

"They're in here," the nurse said, opening the door. Both Xero and T-65 were inside. Xero had bandages on his head and hands, sitting in a chair. T-65 was in a recharge station being repaired by a nurse in a face shield, who was welding him.

"Uh…Hi," T-65 said, waving nervously.

"Okay," Mina started. "I can understand being injured every once in a while. But, when it starts happening consecutively, there's a problem. Starting tomorrow, you're going to get some supervised training."

"But Mom!" he protested. Xero started to laugh from the scene that was developing.

"Please, hold still," the nurse said to the Android.

"But nothing!" Mina said firmly. "You're going to do the same kind of training that all serious hunters undergo… That goes for your friend too.

"What?" Xero exclaimed. "Why do I have to go? You're not my mother! I mean, come on, we're like the same age!"

"You're going!" she said curtly. "It's the only way for you to become a decent hunter."

"And if I don't?" he asked.

"There are several reasons why you should," she warned, cracking her knuckles and undoing her hairstyle. "For one thing, you might learn how to do this." Then she folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"How to sleep standing up?" he asked, not impressed. A few silent seconds later, her hair started to rise in the air and she began to emit a purple aura. Xero began to scoot his chair back.

"Keep in mind," she said, opening her now glowing, empty eyes, "that this part is mostly for show. It only hints at the true power of oneself. I don't think I have to demonstrate this power, do I?"

"No, that's okay," Xero said in awe. "I'll do the training. Just don't go super-saiyan on me, okay?"

It was nearing the evening period of Pioneer 2. The "nightlife" was just beginning. It was also the only good time for Alicia to visit an old friend. Despite the fact that she didn't want to draw attention, she knew that it was better to deter people from approaching her. Because of this, she wore her Force clothing as she entered the Last Stand bar. She immediately caught the attention of everyone inside, but not wanting any trouble, they returned to their business. It wasn't a rough bar at all, but still rather close-knit.

"Alicia, over here!" a blonde bartender called out. Her hair was somewhat short; she had red eyes, pale skin, and was shorter than Alicia. The FOmarl quickly took a seat at the bar.

"Hello, Claire," Alicia greeted. "I decided to pay you a visit. How is everything?"

"Just fine and dandy," Claire smiled. "College is a little rough and it doesn't let ya go hunting much, but at least I can say I went to college. How's Donoph?"

"Not as good as we would like," Alicia responded uneasily. "We tell him to get more rest, but he's just not happy that way. And it doesn't seem to be helping much. We're thinking about moving him to the hospital soon."

"Well, what do you expect?" Claire said, not surprised. "Old Donoph may be getting on in years, but he's got the heart of a hunter. There's no way you're gonna' get that man to stay still."

"That reminds me," Alicia began. "What has Seth been up to lately?"

"Nothing much," Claire replied, filling a glass and sliding it down the table to a customer. "He's been having a hard time finding time for hunting, but he's been kicking some serious ass in the sword clubs. He's also been running from all those preppy college girls."

"So, where does he stay?" Alicia asked. "On campus?"

"You know him," she said, cleaning the table. "He's the lone wanderer. He doesn't even have the room he was assigned on campus anymore. Sometimes he's on a hunter ship. Occasionally, I manage to convince him to stay at my place, but he always feels like he's freeloadin'… Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks," Alicia answered modestly. "You know I don't handle alcohol well."

"You'd better buy somethin'!" another, older bartender called out. "There's a two-drink minimum!"

"Can it, Rick!" Claire yelled back. "Sorry about that," she apologized to the FOmarl. "How about some water or juice, on me?"

"I wouldn't mind that," said a somewhat large waiter, walking up to the bar. "I wouldn't mind it on her either," he said, looking over the FOmarl.

"You know what, Con?" Claire said angrily. "Some day you're gonna' say that crap to the wrong person. Now go give that lady over there her cosmopolitan."

"Which one?" he asked, lounging against the bar.

"The one in the corner by herself," Claire said, giving him the drink. "Thin eyes, red-tipped dark hair, in the dress."

"I remember her from somewhere," he said, looking at the woman closely. _"That's the chick from the club!"_ He grinned to himself and walked in her direction.

"I really wish I could fire that guy," Claire said, watching him talk to the lady. "Or kick his ass… Or find someone who'll kick his ass." Then, a certain HUcaseal and a certain blue HUcast entered.

"We really should be getting that OJ," Anne said to the HUcast.

"Chronos can wait," Miguel said, heading straight for the bar. "Right now, I need a quick recharge. Besides, they might have the juice here."

"Well, I've gone this far," she shrugged. "I might as well get a drink too."

"Give us the heaviest, strongest, cheapest stuff you've got," Miguel said to Claire.

"Are you Anne and Miguel?" Alicia asked the two.

"Yeah," Anne replied. "Aren't you that lady who was with Mina?"

"Very perceptive of you," Alicia complimented. "I'm Alicia Baz." Claire also happened to recognize the HUcaseal not by name, but by her reputation.

"Say," Claire whispered, getting out a pair of beer cans, "you want more than regular booze right? I'll let you have 2 quarts of Vodka on the house if you do me a favor."

"We'll do it!" Miguel announced triumphantly.

"You haven't even heard what she wants yet," Anne said. "What is it?"

"I've seen you beat the crap out guys before," Claire said, leaning over the bar table. "Could you take out that waiter over there? I'd do it myself, but I'd probably be fired, ha ha!"

"I don't think that'll work," Alicia said, pointing in his direction. He was leading the lady, who had a barely noticeable smile on, out of the bar.

"Oh, well," Claire sighed. "At least I can get him fired for walking out on the job."

"Do we still get the Vodka?" Miguel asked hopefully.

"Yeah…" Claire answered, smiling.

"All right!" Miguel cheered.

"But you have to pay for it," she chuckled.

"Aww!" Miguel whined. "You put me up just to drop me back down."

"We're leaving anyway," Anne quickly muttered to herself, pulling Miguel away. "_Adiós,_ Alicia."

"Bye," Alicia said. "I hope to see you again."

"Hey, Alicia," Claire said to the FOmarl. "Thurday's Karaoke Night. You and whoever else you know should come down here sometime. You could even make some extra cash with your sax. You still play, right?"

"Yes," Alicia answered. "In my spare time…which I have very much of now."

"Well, just think about it, okay?" Claire said. "I'd really like to see you guys more often, but graduation isn't for like a week or two…Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed, taking out a card. "You can also come to Jinx's on Friday or Saturday. Just show them this," she said, giving Alicia the card.

_"I suppose he didn't learn his lesson from merciful Chronos,"_ Xi'san thought to herself, having just finished disemboweling Con at his apartment and stealing his money. _"I know I've learned mine."_ Instead of immediately setting the apartment ablaze, she used Barta to freeze the area around his remains. Then, she tossed a fireball at the center, incinerating the remains. The flames melted the ice, but died in the process. Satisfied with the few ashes that were left, Xi'san took her leave.

_Notes:_ This might be the first episode to have a moral, if a sadistic one: If you want to destroy the evidence, don't start big fires because it draws too much attention. My goal in this episode was to humanize some of the shadier characters and add some more characters. And that whole card thing… Think of it as a cheap substitute for real action on Ragol. Gotta give the Boomas a rest, y'know? Is it me, or are these chapters getting longer?

_On the next episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ Misha and Taya take on a special team, which uses more unorthodox monsters (as if you could tell the difference). Part comedy, part action, with the Yugi-Oh heart of the (BS) cards crap, its "Dream Team." Back to school… **Only Toonami!**


	15. Dream Team

**Chapter XV: Dream Team**

It was another day for the tournament. Both Galactica and Isis had returned, now aware of the event. Both also became special players, beating their own opponents for the day. Even Caseal had beaten her opponent. Misha and Taya had just beaten the Waynes twins, Kroe and Anna, and were about to face their own special team.

"Who's goin' against us?" Misha asked Galactica.

"Only Caseal knows," she answered. "She arranged most of this event." Soon enough, Caseal walked up to Misha and Taya.

"Are you ready for your match?" she smiled.

"All set!" Misha replied enthusiastically.

"Cassy, who're we playing against?" Taya asked. As soon as the last word escaped her mouth, there was a blast of fanfare from the exit, startling everyone.

"Them," Caseal said, pointing in the direction of the exit. Coming through the exit were about a dozen women, all of which were playing an instrument such as violins, trumpets, and drums. Each of the women looked very similar to each other in that they all had tanned skin, red hair, gold eyes, and harem pants.

"They look just like my sister!" Misha exclaimed. "We're not fighting all of them, are we?" Then, the music stopped as two figures entered the arena, a young man and a short young lady. The male, a Human, was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a backwards cap, all of which were black. The female, a Newman also in all-black clothing, was in very baggy jeans and a sleeveless shirt.

"Nope," the male answered coolly, with his arms crossed. "Just us."

"You over did it again, Jay," the female warned him. "Next time, let's just use a recording, okay?"

"Spoil sport," he mumbled, before turning to the waiting ladies with instruments. "Thank you, ladies. _Magest daio._" All of them then put the instruments away and began talking amongst each other. "Now, who are we going to beat today?"

"Ahem!" Caseal signaled to them. "Over here. You're going to be taking on Misha and Taya," she said, before turning to the children. "Girls, they are…"

"Jay," the male said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Bea," the female said, showing the peace sign. "This game is brought to you by Team ABC."

"Can we just get to the game?" Misha complained, taking her position.

"Someone's in a hurry," Jay noted, walking to his spot. "But whatever."

"Just a warning," Bea said, winking at Taya. "We won't go easy on you."

"Don't worry," Taya replied readily. "Hard matches are fun matches."

"Fine," Jay said, drawing his cards. "It's time to duel…er, play! I'll start things off with Big Skulltula in defense mode and place two cards face down." In front of him, appeared a shadow. After the uniformed Newmans looked up, they could see a very large spider, with a skull shaped back, hanging by a web from the ceiling. Misha then began her turn.

"I'll play Sentry Drone," Misha said. A mounted gun appeared in front of her. "I'll end my turn with one card face down." Bea went next.

"I'll play Poe in defense mode," she said. All that appeared was a lantern, glowing ominously along with a mischievous, but disembodied cackle. "Then, I'll play this field card, Sacred Forest Meadow. It lowers the stats of Machines, flame-types, and electric-types, while strengthening youths, plants, and bugs." The playing field took on the image of a meadow in a clearing in a forest. "Then, I'll put the rest of my cards face down." Taya began her turn.

"I'll summon Nessy in defense mode," she said, giving rise to a slender, youthful winged serpent. "Since you played that field card, she gets the same bonus. I'll finish with two cards face down."

"So, how was your day?" Jay asked his partner, drawing a card.

"So far, so good," she said. "I spent most of the day getting my deck ready. How about you?"

"Pretty much the same," he said. "I think Ace made a good test dummy for my deck, emphasis on dummy… I'll play this magic card, Nightfall, giving any Dark, Supernatural, or Moon monsters a stat increase." The forest instantly turned dark, with dim light being emitted from holograms of enchanted pollen floating around. The on looking Newmans started to gather near their instructors. "Then, I'll tribute Big Skulltula to summon Queen Ghoma." The now unseen spider was replaced by something else, as everyone could hear rustling coming from the ceiling. "That's it for me."

"Tryin' to scare us, huh?" Misha taunted, drawing her card. "I'll summon Warren286." A tall, but human-sized robot appeared with a blue cyber visor. "Then I'll use this magic card, Integration, which lets it use Sentry Drone as its personal rifle. Now, he'll shoot down whatever you summoned with Pulse Shot." The robot picked up the rather large gun and shot a thin beam of energy into the darkness. The sound of a ricocheting shot could be heard from the ceiling as Jay began to smile. Then, there was more rustling as a monstrosity started to reveal itself from the shadows. Galactica started to get memories from her nightmare and grew anxious. She then assured herself that this was not what she had seen. All of the Newmans and Androids in the room, with their superior vision, could now clearly see the black, eight-legged creature hanging from the ceiling. Its one and only glowing eye opened, staring curiously at Misha.

"Never seen that before," Misha said to herself just as its eye rolled in its socket. Then, it dropped down to the floor on its legs with a crash, staring down at Misha and her robot with a growl while flailing its armored tail.

"Congratulations," Jay said ominously. "You revealed her. Too bad that her armor prevents nearly all damage. I'm guessing that your turn is over." Bea drew her card after hearing Misha's grumbling.

"Don't feel bad," she consoled. "We're experts at this. I'll play this magic card, The Sisterhood, so I can summon special monsters." Four lanterns (red, green, blue, and purple) appeared around the original. "Then, I'll have my Poe attack Nessy with Evil Flame!" The original lantern shuddered to life as a ghoulish creature in rags appeared to be holding it. Cackling mischievously, it threw a fireball at the serpent, causing minor damage. "Then, I'll finish it with all of the Poe Sisters! The other lanterns revealed their own ghosts, dressed in stylish clothing of their respective colors. They all spun around the serpent before closing in with their spinning lanterns. Nessy was knocked out and destroyed by the lamps of the red and purple Poes. The other two struck Taya directly, costing her 120 HP. She regained her composure and drew her card.

"Nice move, Bea!" she said, still in high spirits. "It looks like they attack as one monster."

"Thank you," Bea replied. "Most people get angry when I do that," she said, eyeing Jay, who shrugged.

"She doesn't get angry," Misha commented.

"But, I do get even," Taya said, revealing the malice in her voice. "I'll activate my trap card, Traitorous Martyr! Since your Poe Sisters cost me HP and act as one monster, I can take control of them to sacrifice them for HP or another monster."

"Clever," Bea said as the Poe Sisters reappeared on Taya's side.

"Very," Jay added.

"I'll tribute two," Taya said, restoring 75 HP. "Then, I'll put the others in defense mode," ending her turn.

"I'll activate the Queen's ability," Jay said, drawing a card. "I'll have to switch it to defense mode though." The massive bug then crawled up the wall and into the shadows. From the look on its glowing eye, it was straining to do something. Then, three sacks popped out of its tail.

"What the heck are those?" Misha cried, grossed out.

"Eggs," Jay said casually. "It'll do that after every turn…Your turn."

"Well, they look pretty harmless to me," Misha commented, drawing a card. "First, I'll put one card face down, then I'll summon Mike in defense mode." A two-legged microphone appeared on the field. "Then I'll have Warren286 use its Pulse Shot on Bea!" The robot took aim and shot the laser.

"I'll activate Double Defense!" she responded, quickly flipping a trap card. "It permanently raises my personal defense, cutting the power of your attack in half." She then blocked the shot with her hand, losing only 25 HP. "My field card made your attack even weaker."

"I've got something for you," Misha gritted her teeth. "Just you wait!" Queen Ghoma then spawned three more eggs, while the original three hatched. The larvae looked like small, pink, two-legged versions of the adult.

"Hey, Jay," Bea called to him, drawing a card. "Can I borrow one of yours?"

"Knock yourself out," he motioned.

"Then, I'll tribute Ghoma to summon ReDead!" she said, bringing a more disdainful look to Jay's face. One of the babies disappeared as a naked zombie of sorts rose from the ground. It had brownish clay-colored skin, empty eye sockets, and a gaping wide mouth full of sharp teeth. It stood as if it had just enough energy and solid bone to do so. As soon as it appeared, it began to moan disturbingly.

"Did it have to be that thing?" Jay asked. "No one likes ReDeads… do any of you like them?" he asked the similar-looking ladies who had played instruments during their entrance. They all rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

"Whatever," Bea said, rolling her eyes as well. "Redead, attack Warren286 with Dead Gaze." The zombie merely raised its head towards the robot and looked at it. There was a disembodied scream, scaring the students.

"What was that supposed to do?" Misha asked since nothing happened.

"You'll see," Bea answered as the Queen laid three more eggs, while two hatched.

_"I've got to stop that Queen Ghoma,"_ Taya said, drawing a card. _"But I don't have anything within range…but Misha does."_ "I'll sacrifice the Poe Sisters to summon Medusa!" The serpent lady appeared in all her snaky-haired glory. "Then, I'll attack Redead with Stone Cold Stare!" Instantly, the baby Ghomas turned to stone, yet the Queen and Redead were unaffected.

"Why didn't they turn into rocks?" Misha gaped. "She's in defense mode," she said pointing at the eye of Queen Ghoma, "and the zombie was attacked directly.

"The Queen Ghoma's out of Medusa's range," Taya sighed, her long ears drooping a bit.

"Plus, Medusa's effect only works on creatures with eyes," Bea said.

"Of which a ReDead has none," Jay added. "But you managed to stop the Ghomas. And I can't have more than 5 monsters on the field at a time." Queen Ghoma then laid three more eggs, leaving 8 eggs and 4 petrified babies.

"Misha!" Taya called. "We've got to get rid of Queen Ghoma. If she keeps laying eggs, they'll be able to summon stronger monsters easier.

"Exactly!" Jay acknowledged, drawing a card. "I'll sacrifice two Ghomas to summon Iron Knuckle!" A large knight in thick, shining, gold armor with a large battle-axe replaced the two statues. Attack Warren286 with Axe Slam!" The heavy knight clanked slowly over to the robot and swung its axe down with a grunt.

"Don't get hit by that slow thing!" Misha ordered the robot. It didn't move and was split down the middle by the axe, leaving only a damaged Sentry Drone intact. She lost 60 HP. "Why didn't he move? He should have been able to step to the side or something!"

"Redead froze it with its glare," Bea said, smiling. "Even a slowpoke like the Iron Knuckle could hit Warren." Queen Ghoma then laid three more eggs, letting one hatch.

"My turn!" Misha shouted, determined to do some damage. "I'll sacrifice my remaining monsters to summon Wing Zero!" A giant robot that looked like a samurai in white, blue, and red appeared. It had angelic wings, two large rifles in its hands, and two beam sabers in the hilts on its back.

"It's a Gundam!" Jay shouted excitedly.

"That's right!" she responded. "And now, I'll have it take down Queen Ghoma with its Buster Rifle!" The Gundam combined its guns into one and charged it up, aiming at the arachnid's eye.

"It's not strong enough to kill it," Jay said, regaining his composure. Wing Zero fired a powerful beam of energy at the monster. Queen Ghoma crashed to the ground with its eye spinning in circles from dizziness, crushing all of the eggs it had laid.

"But it's enough to screw up your plan!" Misha retorted.

"Nice going Misha!" Taya cheered, along with the other Newmans.

"It's time to get serious!" Bea said, drawing a card. "I'll summon the Sheikah Warrior in defense mode." A man in a blue and white ninja-like outfit appeared. "Then, I'll power him up with this magic card, Triforce of Courage," causing his chest to have a fractal of three green triangles. "ReDead, attack Medusa head on!" The zombie then _slowly_ lurched up to the serpent lady, moaning the whole way. Suddenly, with a burst of life, it jumped onto her back and wrapped its arms and legs around the gorgon. Biting into her neck with surprisingly sharp teeth, the ReDead seemed to be humping Medusa as she tried to shake it off.

"Oh, my!" Caseal exclaimed. "Isis, can the children actually watch this?"

"Nothing that should be offensive," she said blankly. "Children's mental health will be unaffected."

"Your turn," Bea said, as her Redead continued to suck the life out of Medusa.

"All she needs are her eyes," Taya said to herself, drawing a card quickly. "I'll play Sun Festival, a magic card that destroys your zombie and lowers the stats of your Ghomas." The entire room was relit, causing the Redead to melt into the ground. "I'll also summon Grass Assassin." A large blue insect came onto the field, appearing to be a cross between a locust and a mantis with large scythe-like arms. Then, Medusa will use Stone Cold Stare on Iron Knuckle!" The injured monster petrified all of its opponents except for the Sheikah Warrior. "It should've been turned into stone just like the others."

"Not when it has the Triforce," Bea said, waving her index finger.

"Then I'll have Grass Assassin attack it with Double Slash!" Taya announced. The insect made its way to the ninja and swung its bladed arms. The Sheikah ducked and dodged both attacks.

"He's also pretty agile," Bea smiled amusedly.

"Then, I'll put Pierce on Wing Zero and end my turn!" Taya said, getting frustrated for what might have been the first time.

"She doesn't get angry, huh?" Jay said mockingly as he drew his card. "All right! I'll tribute two Ghomas to summon Volvagia!" A jet of flame shot out of the ground as a black and red serpent dragon flew out of it. It had blue-yellow eyes and a mane of fire. "Volvagia, attack Medusa with Volcanic Breath!" The beast blew a jet of flame, completely engulfing Medusa. When it stopped, she was covered in flames, but still standing."

"Gorgons can't be killed that easily, remember?" Bea chided. "Besides, my field card is still in play. Volvagia isn't as strong in the forest."

"Blast, I forgot!" Jay scolded himself. "Oh, well. Your turn." Misha drew her card and knew exactly what to do.

"First, I'll play Dispel to get rid of the forest," she said, putting down a magic card. The original gym replaced the forest scene. "Next, I'll place a monster in face-down defense mode. Then, I'll have Wing Zero attack your weakened Queen Ghoma with its Twin Beam Rifles!" The Gundam used its two rifles to blast towards the petrified arachnid. Queen Ghoma, along with all of its spawn, was instantly vaporized. "And that Pierce makes all of the damage count on your HP! Then, I'll play this field card, Dark Factory, raising the power of machines and dark-types! The room again became covered in darkness, with a few conveyor belts and machines appearing.

"Phooey!" Jay pouted, as his HP dropped by 250. "Bea, let's show 'em what the Triforce is all about!"

"Gotcha!" she replied, drawing a card. "I'll use the Triforce of Power on Iron Knuckle!" A gauntlet on the "stone knuckle" shined with the red symbol, restoring the heavy knight back to its metal form. "Now, Sheikah Warrior, attack Grass Assassin with Razor Wing!" He ran up to the bug, and raised arms in a crossed X formation. Then, he split the formation, managing to slice the insect's arms off.

"My Grass Assassin!" Taya cried, seeing her monster being made all but useless.

"Your turn," Bea said innocently.

_"Neither of my monsters can do anything now!"_ Taya thought, hesitantly drawing a card. "But this will help! I'll sacrifice Medusa and Grass Assasin to summon Shadow Saber." The monstrosity appeared, just as odd-looking as before.

"Now, you're in for it!" Misha cheered.

"Hmm, don't see one of those often," Jay mused.

"Shadow Saber, attack Iron Knuckle!" Taya ordered. It walked menacingly toward the knight. When it was within range, the dark monster slashed at the golden warrior three times, managing to break off a layer of the armor covering the Iron Knuckle's unexpectedly thin waist. The only protection left in the area was chain mail.

"Aw man!" Jay exclaimed, drawing a card. "That Shadow Saber must be pretty strong to break through her armor when she has the Triforce of Power."

"It's a she?" Misha exclaimed.

"A Gerudo to be more exact," Jay said.

"What's a Gerudo?" Misha asked.

"One of them," Bea said, pointing to the redheaded ladies.

"Gerudos," Jay began, "typically have tan skin, red-orange hair, and gold eyes, and are usually female…for some reason. They also have a unique language…among other things. Iron Knuckle, _schume mai armur. _And ladies…"

The Gerudos cheered as the remaining armor fell off of the chain mailed figure. She dropped the axe and tossed off the large boots and chain mail. There stood a not so tall Gerudo in a small, pink top and large, pink harem pants unraveling her long, red ponytail.

"I present the woman behind the armor," Jay announced. "Nabooru!"

"Show off," Misha and Bea mumbled to themselves.

"I'll switch her to defense mode," Jay said, "and play one card face down. This match is almost over! Volvagia, restrict Shadow Saber!" The dragon flew to the Shadow Saber and coiled itself around it. "That ought to hold it." Misha drew her card.

"I'll summon Cyber Nymph in defense mode," she said. A dark-haired lady in a black bodysuit appeared on the field. "She makes my Gundam stronger, so I'll have Wing Zero cut Volvagia with Beam Saber Slash!" The Gundam switched its guns for a beam saber, and cut Volvagia to pieces, freeing the Shadow Saber.

"Stupid Gundam," Jay said to himself, losing 30 HP. "But I'll reveal my trap card, Repentance, which deducts its health from your HP." Misha growled as she lost 500 HP.

"Let's see how my luck is," Bea said, drawing a card. "Ha ha! It'll only be one more turn before you lose! I'll…"

"_I'll _reveal my trap card," Misha interrupted. "Passover skips the rest of your turn."

"Your welcome, Kitty!" Jared called out from the crowd.

"Don't call me that!" Misha yelled back.

"Oh, well," Bea said coolly. "You're only postponing the inevitable."

"I'll summon Fairy Princess in defense mode," Taya said after drawing a card. A small lady appeared, fluttering with the wings of a dragonfly. "Then, I'll have Shadow Saber attack Iron… I mean Nabooru." The Shadow Saber made its way to the Gerudo and raised its arm.

"I'll reveal another trap card, Jinxed!" Jay exclaimed. The Shadow Saber seemed to slip as if it were off-balanced. Nabooru then took out a scimitar and knocked over the Shadow Saber. Then, she jumped onto it and began to pummel it with the scimitar. Soon, she stopped and backed off. The Shadow Saber got up and reappeared at its original spot.

"That was cheap," Misha commented, oblivious to the dirty looks from the real Gerudos on the sidelines.

"Basically," Jay began, "it does all that and takes the damage off of your friend's HP." Sure enough, Taya had lost 30 HP.

"Becoming more aggressive," Isis commented to the others.

"At first," Galactica said, "they were toying with the girls. Now, they seem ready to win."

"Misha and Taya are doing an excellent job," Caseal said. "They might be able to win this."

"I'll play Ancient Sage," Jay said enthusiastically. A cloaked figure appeared, hiding its face. "It's the last piece of the puzzle. Nabooru, attack Misha's face-down card!"

"That was stupid," Misha said, as the Gerudo tossed the scimitar at the spot where the hidden monster was. A giant target appeared and was destroyed. "The Alarm lets me trap all of my opponents' monsters for one turn each." Instantly, Nabooru, Ancient Sage, and Sheikah Warrior were all caught under energy fields.

"It won't matter since you're about to lose," Jay chuckled. "Anyway, I'll do one more thing. I'll play the magic card, Maverick Virus. It totally screws up all machine monsters!"

"They look okay to me," Misha said, drawing a card. "Now, I'll have Wing Zero used Buster Rifle on Nabooru." Instead, the Gundam used its beam saber to attack Misha, lowering her HP by 100.

"Told ya," Jay said, shifting his eyes to the side.

"Shut up!" Misha barked. "Cyber Nymph, use your special ability to heal me." Cyber Nymph ignored her and attacked Nabooru with a jolt of electricity. "Whatever."

"Hm hm!" Bea giggled along with Taya.

"Eh, so it can still hurt me," Jay said apathetically. "My card just makes 'em crazy."

"Well, this is it," Bea said, drawing her card. "I'll play Triforce of Wisdom on Ancient Sage." The blue symbol appeared on the sage's forehead. "Then, me and Jay will sacrifice all holders of the sacred triangles."

"The end is near," Jay said, as the Gerudo, sage, and Sheikah all disappeared in a beam of light.

"Oh boy," Misha said tiredly. "What now?"

"We'll summon the Golden Goddesses," Bea and Jay said simultaneously. "Din the Goddess of Power." A bright red light beamed down from the ceiling, blinding everyone. "Nayru the Goddess of Wisdom." A blue beam shot down with equal intensity. "And Farore the Goddess of Wisdom." A green light appeared as the others. The light dimmed just enough for everyone to see the figures of three women.

"Here's your last chance to give up," Bea said reassuringly. "Unlike other monsters, god monsters will probably hurt you if you get attacked."

"I'm not afraid of some stupid hologram!" Misha said defiantly.

"I won't give up," Taya said. "I'll use Anti-mage to destroy all magic cards." Instantly, the room was relit in its corners, although the goddesses had already defeated the darkness.

"Pointless," Bea relented. "Din, attack Shadow Saber!" The red figure raised her arm and shot several balls of energy at the Shadow Saber.

"Then I'll activate Mirror Shield!" Taya exclaimed.

"Futile," Jay said, as the mirror was instantly shattered by the blasts.

"Then, I'll use Sacrifice to give Misha half of my HP and skips your next turn," Taya said in desperation, as the Shadow Saber was destroyed in an explosion. "You'll have to win this one, Misha," she said, covering her eyes as she lost 500 HP.

"Wasted," Bea said. "Farore, destroy Fairy Princess." The green figure caused plant roots to jut from the floor and drag the fairy into oblivion.

_"Aw man!" _Misha thought frantically. _"What am I supposed to do? She's better at this than I am. There's no way I can win this one."_

"Nayru," Bea said. "Do your thing." The blue goddess raised her hand and flicked her wrist, tossing Taya backward, erasing the last of her HP. Taya was lying flat on her back, growling angrily until she saw Misha approaching.

"Taya!" Misha ran over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, silly," Taya smiled, sitting up. "It's just a game."

"I don't think I can win," Misha said doubtfully. "Maybe I should just give up."

"Don't give up yet," Taya said, taking Misha's hand. "I didn't give up. Just believe in yourself, like I do."

"Why wouldn't you believe in yourself?" Misha asked. "You're like the best player in school."

"No, I mean that **I** believe in **you**, she said, poking her nose. "Why else would I have played that last card? The odds may be against you, but you can still win."

"That's right," said one of the Human Gerudos, standing nearby. "The Golden Goddesses are very powerful, but very risky to use. If one is defeated, all three will fall. And god cards of that power usually forfeit the game when they are destroyed."

"Go for it!" Taya cheered, pushing Misha along.

"Did you decide to give up?" Bea and Jay asked simultaneously.

"You can stop the dual voice bit!" Misha said with her confidence restored. "I can still win if I beat one of them."

"True," Bea said.

"But unlikely," Jay added.

_"Okay, Tetsu,"_ Misha prayed to herself. _"I know I'm not the religious type, and sure I don't even know what you represent and…anyway, just help me out."_ Misha then hesitantly drew the card, holding her breath before looking at it. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"That ain't good," Jay said, getting a bad feeling.

"I'll play this ritual card, Heart of the Leyline," Misha announced, "and tribute Cyber Nymph." A giant golden mechanical structure, looking like a hybrid of an observatory and a tower, materialized with the Cyber Nymph attached near the top. The entire room was covered with golden light, with the exception of the Goddesses' area.

"Thou hast returned a maiden of the Leyline," the structure stated with a feminine voice. "What is thy desire?"

"Um, let's see," Misha said to herself, unsure of what to do. "How does this thing work?"

"What's the Leyline?" Van asked Taya nervously.

"I don't really know," she replied with a shrug. "I think it's some kind of treasure… or even a god."

"A mechanical god," Isis said, joining the conversation. "A mythological object said to be created by mortals and meant to be controlled by mortals."

"How can Misha use it?" Taya asked anxiously.

"Misha need only make a wish," Isis said simply.

"Did ya hear that, Kitty?" Jared asked.

"Loud and clear," Misha replied, being able to hear with her ears perked. "…And don't call me Kitty! Now, Leyline, help me defeat the Golden Goddesses!"

"So it is said," the structure replied, "so it shall be." Suddenly, there was a bright, golden light that blinded everyone. When the room returned to its normal color, the structure had disappeared. The goddesses had been stripped of their auras and were now golden statuettes of their former selves. Mighty Din stood tall, clothed with light armor. The beautiful Nayru sat in the air, armed with a book and harp. The proud Farore crouched in battle stance, with a sheathed sword on her back. In a flash of their respective colors they disappeared, leaving only the Triforce in their wake.

"That reminds me of the legend," Jay said nostalgically.

"This is why everyone loves this game!" Bea cheered. "Top of the line special effects!"

"What now?" Misha asked out loud.

"You won," Jay said casually. "When you beat a god card, you usually win. It's as simple as that."

"I…won?" Misha said disbelievingly. The room burst into cheering for the young Newman.

"Not bad," Jared commented. "Not bad at all."

"You did it!" Taya cheered, rushing up to hug her.

"Both of you won," Van added.

"Yeah," Misha agreed. "It was a team effort."

"Congratulations," Isis said blankly.

"That was an exceptional performance," Caseal said, walking over. "Misha, Taya, you two are the first to beat any special players. You're now the team champions… the other team decided to forfeit after seeing what you accomplished."

"Scaredy-cats," Misha muttered, getting a giggle out of Taya.

"As such," Caseal continued, "I'm awarding both of you 1,000 Meseta each."

"One thousand?" they said, astounded.

"And you also get rare cards," she added.

"And we just happen to have those cards," said Jay, walking over with Bea.

"I know a lot about you, Taya," Bea said, taking out two cards. "I'm pretty sure you'll like Jinxed and Jinx Belt."

"Thank you!" Taya said joyously.

"Your weakness," Jay said to Misha, taking out cards, "is that you rely too much on machines. Mix it up a little with Conversion or take out non-machines with Black Death."

"Cool," Misha replied, taking the cards. "Hey, where's that lady that told me how to beat you?"

"Don't mention it," the Gerudo said from the side.

"But I thought you were on their side?" she said, confused.

"Just a little friendly advice," the lady shrugged before turning to Jay. "We done here?"

"Yep," Jay replied, prompting the Gerudos to exit. "Hold it right there!"

"What?" she said, speaking for the others.

"Give them back their money," Jay grinned, getting a groan out of them. Each Gerudo returned the Meseta to the astounded audience.

"When did they…?" Misha began.

"While the room was dark," Bea said, taking her leave. "Hey, Taya, Misha. Keep in touch. We're at the ABC website."

"Okay," Taya said, waving goodbye.

_"Oh!"_ Galactica thought, noticing what time it was. _"I'd better get going."_

_Notes:_ How many references did you catch? Let's just say that I don't own any of these licenses: Gundam, Zelda, Outlaw Star, and of course Phantasy Star.

_Next Time:_ It's time for some training. Watch as both T-65 and Xero are emasculated before their trainers in Training Day…You don't know sht until you've watched **Toonami!**


	16. Training Day

**Chapter 16: Training Day**

"Here we are!" Mina announced, stepping out of a transporter. They were in a park. Xero and T-65 joined her. She was in her usual purple and white Force gear. The Android was not wearing the armor he usually wore and wasn't nearly as bulky anymore. Mina had instructed him to remove his chest plate, shin guards, shoulder armor, and wrist guards, revealing that his unarmored self had gray metal skin. He was in black pants and shirt, ready for training. Xero, as he often did when going out, dressed in style with orange sunglasses, 200 Meseta sneakers, and a tropical shirt.

"So, where are they?" T-65 asked anxiously.

"I shouldn't even be here," Xero grumbled, checking his platinum watch.

"There they are," Mina said, pointing to a young man and woman of similar age walking up the path. The somewhat short, blue-eyed white-haired man, who had a grim look on his face, was wearing gray slacks and a white athletic shirt, showing off his impressive physique. The red-eyed blonde woman, who was shorter, wore an athletic shirt with a camouflage design and matching pants and cap.

"Haven't seen you in a while," the woman said with a mischievous smile, walking directly to Mina. "You didn't go soft on me, did ya?" She then threw a punch at the FOmarl, who caught it, grabbed the lady's arm, and flipped the attacker onto the ground. T-65 and Xero didn't know what to make of this.

"I hope not, Claire-chan," Mina said, smiling at down at her.

"Ha ha ha!" she laughed, leaping to her feet. "That's the Mina I remember," she said, lifting Mina a tight hug.

"You haven't changed a bit," the man said in a somewhat rough voice with a smirk.

"…I hear that you're the top fencing athlete at school," Mina said hesitantly, as Claire put her back down.

"It's a poor substitute for hunting," he shrugged, "but it beats the hell out of the military academy."

"Whoa!" T-65 said, butting in. "Could somebody explain?" Xero seemed to agree.

"These two are your trainers," Mina said simply. "Meet Clairice Valentine, Claire for short, and Sethiroff Masamune."

"Sephiroth!" Xero exclaimed. "For real?"

"It's Seth-i-roff," the man said, a bit annoyed. "Just call me Seth."

"Now that you've been introduced," Mina began, "I'll just be heading off. Have fun!" Then, she took the teleporter back.

"So, let me get this straight," Xero said, holding his chin in thought. "We're being trained by people that are just like us."

"You're being retrained," Seth corrected, "by hunters who have more experience than you two. Especially you."

"That's right," Claire said thoughtfully. "You're the guy who got his ass handed to him on Ragol. We had to drag you back to the ship."

"Oh, yeah!" Xero said, ignoring the insult.

"Heh heh," T-65 chuckled. "Wasn't that the day you died?"

"Yeah," Xero said a little more sullenly.

"Well, then," Seth began. "We're here to make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Or at least not as often," Claire teased. "Now, what's first on the list?"

"First, we'll need some info," Seth said. "Xero's your name, isn't it? Show me your aura."

"My what?" Xero asked with surprise.

"The thing that Mom showed you," T-65 said, smiling. "You almost wet yourself from that one."

"Shut up!" Xero shouted, before turning back to the trainers. "I don't know how to do that."

"We'll get to that later then," Seth replied. "How long have you two been hunters?"

"A week," Xero replied.

"Three years," T-65 said.

"Dude, you suck!" Xero exclaimed, beginning to laugh. "You've been a hunter that long and your level's only in the teens?"

"That's enough," Seth said sternly. "Normally, it takes years to get that high in level. But, Ragol… its monsters are an extra challenge that forces a hunter to become stronger…or die."

"What level are you?" T-65 asked.

"All ya need to know," Claire said, "is that we're stronger than Mina. We had more free time for training. Next question…"

"Why did you decide to become hunters?" Seth asked. Both of them hesitated to answer. "T-65?"

"…Because my sister Galactica became one," T-65 relented. "That and because it seemed like the thing for me to do. I like fighting, and I like shooting."

"Right on," Claire commented. "Xero?"

"Uh…same reason," Xero said with hesitance. "Besides, hunters kick ass."

"Fair enough," Seth nodded. "Now, you'll be going on a little ride with Claire. Remember to wear your seatbelts."

"Okay," Xero said, noticing the grin on Claire's face.

"Car's this way, boys," Claire said, leading them down the path.

"Nice car," Xero said looking over the craft. It was a somewhat small wedge-shaped star craft with two thrusters on the back and had a red, green, and orange paintjob. "What kind is it?"

"A Dodonna-Blissex '78," Claire said, unlocking it. "It's a top of the line model with twin Nolvadex J-77 Event Horizon engines, built in HV, CD player, scanner, surround sound speakers, and seats 4 adults!"

"How's it handle?" T-65 asked as he got in, noticing that she really liked her car.

"Like a dream," Claire sighed, turning on the machine. "Old D-B turns on a dime, goes from 0 to 200 in 2 seconds, has a top speed of Mach 2 in normal flight, deflector shields, and even has hyperdrive!"

"Damn, that must of cost a lot," Xero said as the craft slowly rose into the air.

"You might wanna' put on your seatbelt," Claire warned in a low voice, gripping the wheel. "Not that we're going to crash or anything."

"Nah, I'm good," Xero said, sitting back comfortably. T-65 decided to strap himself in, catching the hint.

"Here we go!" she said, switching the car into gear. The craft darted off into air, plastering Xero against the seat. The craft made sharp turns around many buildings and dodged the other, slower cars.

"What the hell, man!" Xero exclaimed as he was tossed around back seat.

"She warned you," T-65 said, securely fastened. Soon, he became unnerved as the craft quickly approached to skyscrapers with little space in between. The craft quickly turned sideways, slipping between the structures. Then, it went skyward, only to twist into a downward spiral.

"Loosen up, guys," Claire said with a giggle as the '78 speedily approached the bottom floor, nearing a collision. "How about some music? Some of Sir Meta's Unfinished Symphony #4 oughta do it." she said, turning on the classical music as the car turned to fly parallel to the ground.

"Could you at least turn on the G-diffuser?" Xero exclaimed, not liking the fact that they were now flying upside-down.

Meanwhile, Seth was sitting in the park, eating a snack. He could easily picture what the training hunters were feeling during the ride. He had learned to respect Claire's erratic but stellar driving ability over the years. Then, he noticed a black and orange female Android standing nearby.

"Can I help you?" he asked a little gruffly.

"I'm here for extra hunter training," she said. "Do you know anything regarding that?"

"I'm one of the trainers," he said, standing up. "Are you Galactica?"

"Yes," she responded. "And you?"

"Seth," he replied. "My partner, Claire, is with the others right now, but they'll be back soon."

"I hope I didn't miss too much," she said worriedly.

"We weren't expecting you," Seth said. "Mina only told us about Xero and T-65… So, how long have you been a hunter and why did you become one?"

"I've been a hunter almost since I was built," she responded nostalgically. "As for why… I can't really say. It just feels right…like I was meant to do this line of work."

"Hmm," Seth thought. "Why do you think that you need extra training?"

"I've learned that I need improvement," she said, lowering her head.

"In that case," Seth said, "we'll take you." The others were returning by now.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Claire asked, patting them on their backs.

"…Do you even have a license?" Xero said, still a little dizzy. "… Hey, your sister's here."

"Whoopee," T-65 said sarcastically.

"What happened to them?" Galactica asked, seeing them look a bit disoriented.

"They took a ride with Claire," Seth answered plainly.

"It's what we call an icebreaker," Claire added. "So, how are we gonna' do this, Seth?"

"The logical way," Seth said, looking over the trainees. "I'll focus on Xero, while you focus on the Rangers. The first stop is the public gym. Follow me," he said, leading the trainees.

"Hold it, girl," Claire said, stopping Galactica. "They already took the ride, so we're driving to the gym."

"What's so bad about riding with you?" the Android asked innocently.

"Nothing," Claire said, leading her away. "They just can't handle a little speed. Personally, it's the second most fun thing I do."

"What's the first?" Galactica asked.

"Being a Ranger," Claire smiled.

"Barely anyone's here!" Xero exclaimed, having seen only a few people in the building.

"All the better," Seth said, leading them to a large fitness room, which was full of weights and workout machines. "The only people that are here today are athletes, military trainees, and the occasional hunter. Are we ready to go ladies?"

"What did you just call us?" T-65 asked, insulted. "I ain't no girl."

"Hey, I'm all man," Xero said, smiling. "More of a man than he is."

"Prove it," Seth said stoically. "Xero, carry T-65 from here, to that bench-press on the other side of the room, and back. Let's see how strong you are." They gaped at him and saw that he was serious.

"Here we go," Xero sighed. Then he grunted as he tried to lift the RAcast. After straining for three seconds he broke off and rested. "Just gimme a sec."

"Whenever you're ready," Seth said patiently, folding his arms.

"All right," Xero panted, grabbing T-65 again. He strained even harder, making more noise as he began to slowly lift the Android off the ground. "Heavy…as…shit!" he grunted before falling backward and being crushed by T-65.

"You okay?" he said, getting off of Xero.

"He's fine," Seth answered for him. "I want you to do a handstand."

"Why?" T-65 asked, pulling Xero to his feet.

"Let's see if you can handle your own weight," Seth answered, standing back. "A RAcast should work on his balancing ability as early as possible.

"Sheesh," T-65 complained, crouching. Placing his hands on the floor, he put his feet into the air, quickly flipping over himself with a crash.

"Again," Seth said. The Android made another attempt, with the same results.

"He's shakin' the floor," Xero said, as the Android hit the ground. "How much do you weigh anyway?"

"It's best that you not know," Seth interrupted. "I don't want you to know your limits yet."

"Can you do it?" T-65 asked, getting up.

"Of course," Seth said impassively. "But I'm not the one training right now. Now, both of you, 50 pushups."

"Aw!" they complained dropping to the ground.

"We're here!" Claire announced, walking in with Galactica.

"I see that she made out pretty well," Seth said, noticing the RAcaseal's calm demeanor.

"Actually, I enjoyed it," Galactica smiled, surprising the males.

"I'm impressed," Seth said, showing some interest. "You're the first person I've met who likes her driving."

"What are we doing today?" she asked.

"Basic exercises," Claire said. We'll get to the real training tomorrow. We don't have enough time for anything too serious. I've got a job to get to in a couple of hours."

"A quest?" Galactica guessed.

"Nope," Claire smirked. "I'm a bartender at Last Stand."

"That brings me to lesson number one," Seth interrupted. "Always have some kind of occupation or hobby besides hunting if you can. Quests aren't always so available. What do you two weaklings do?" he asked T-65 and Xero who were still doing pushups.

"I…don't need…to work," Xero panted. "I've…got…a trust fund."

"Just hunting," T-65 replied.

"If that's the case," Seth responded a little coldly, "you'd better become damn good hunters. And you Galactica?"

"I work as a teacher's assistant at Nei School for Newmans."

"Looks like she's already got an edge over both of you," Claire said. "Galactica, you can go to the treadmill."

"Why does she get the easy stuff?" Xero complained, finishing his exercise.

"Both of you are going to do the same thing," Seth said returning to his stoicism. "Five miles should be enough. And, Xero, from now on I'm going to call you Baka."

_Notes:_ Looks like you guys don't have to read a thousand pages this time. Anyway, here's some stuff for you to think about. What is Seth's connection to the others? Why is Mina so nervous around him? Why is Xero bitching so much? Find out…

_On the next (hopefully good) episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ Finally, it's time for some real training. Seth shows Xero how to use a blade, while Claire shows the Rangers the joy of firing a gun. And Mina takes a quest for illegal stimulants known as "sweets." Of course there will be a few run-ins both on ship and on planet, plus, a few secretsin "Bittersweet." I don't own it, but still…**Only Toonami!**


	17. Bittersweet

**Chapter 17: Bittersweet**

Both Claire and Seth were outside the shop on the Hunter Deck, waiting for their trainees to arrive. Seth was in all-black leather armor, with extra padding on his legs, arms, and chest. The armor made him seem a bit more muscular than he actually was. Claire was wearing several layers of clothing that were stylishly militaristic. The outermost were two pieces of armor that protected the left side of the torso while the other looked like a metal loincloth. From her navel to her kneepads were green harem shorts. She had an equally puffy short-sleeved shirt, stopping above her navel, covering a see-through long-sleeved orange shirt.

"Did you bring enough guns?" Seth asked Claire sarcastically.

"Oh, ha ha," she replied dryly. "Very funny."

"You've been a acting a bit moody today," Seth noted, arching an eyebrow. "Almost as much as me. What's bothering you?"

"Just a guilty conscience," she sighed, sitting against a wall. "That jerk that works at the bar…worked at the bar…got killed a couple a days ago."

"What does that have to do with you?" Seth asked, detached as ever.

"That same day I was trying to get him beat up…or at least fired. Now, _I_feel like a jerk."

"Don't let it bother you," he consoled. "You didn't have anything to do with it. Someone else could have been after him, especially if he's like you said he was."

"Thanks," Claire said, feeling better. "…Looks like they're here." All three trainees arrived and greeted them.

---

Mina was also on the Hunter Deck. Deciding to avoid the awkwardness of running into Seth, she stayed at the Guild and took a quest. To her luck, the client was already there. It was a young blonde lady in a green and white government uniform. Apparently, she was off-duty.

"I'm Trekka," she said giddily, in a high-pitched voice. "I'm really embarrassed about this story, but listen to me. You know how Pioneer 2 doesn't really restrict us on food consumption, right?"

"Ri…"

"But certain types of foods are restricted," Trekka said, interrupting Mina, "especially sweets. But I love sweets! I was looking forward to landing on Ragol because it meant eating sweets! But the landing was postponed! And I really need my sweets!"

"You shouldn't be so loud about this!" Mina scolded, nervous that someone would hear. "Just settle down."

"Maybe you hunters," Trekka continued, ignoring her, "can go to Pioneer 1 to get some sweets."

"But…"

"Sorry that this quest sounds stupid," she interrupted again, "but I'm serious! I want to eat something sweet… very sweet." Mina stopped trying to talk to her and began her search.

"Hey, you," said a little maroon-haired FOnewearl in a white outfit. "Do you know who that was? She's famous for starting sweet mania! She's in great shape now, but she used to be…oops! I'll stop there. Don't want to embarrass her."

"I see," Mina said, understanding. "Um…do you know where I can find…you know…?"

"I'm not getting involved," she said, backing away. "There are other hunters doing the same quest, so they might have some information." Mina then approached a short purple-armored RAmar leaning his helmeted head against a wall.

"I don't know what to do," he complained out loud, not even noticing her. "My quest is to find three sisters, but there aren't any clues. I went everywhere on Pioneer 2."

_"Wrong quest,"_ Mina noted, walking out of the Guild. Then, she spotted a large green RAcast wandering near the hospital entrance. "Excuse me, but what quest are you doing?"

"I'm helping to find the 3 lost sisters," he replied friendlily. "They were bakers with their own high standards for baking. I don't understand why they'd leave the ship." A bearded man ran up to them after hearing what he said.

"Yes! I know who those sisters are!" he exclaimed. "They were looking for the perfect baking environment. They were professionals. So, their bread was very delicious!"

"That's not my quest," Mina said nervously.

"Oh, it isn't?" he responded, embarrassed. "Sorry about that."

"Wait!" she called out. "Did the sisters make any…um…sweets?"

"Probably," said the RAcast and the man.

"Okay, thank you," Mina said, walking towards the transporter. _"If I can find these sisters, I might find that food. Now, then…what would be a good baking environment?"_ She decided to look in the Forest, not really knowing much about cooking.

---

Meanwhile, Seth and Claire were watching their trainees fight animals from a distance. Seth had a golden saber called Gladius, the most powerful of standard Sabers. Claire had a rifle with pinkish energy vial, signifying that high-quality gun was of the Beam variety. As Galactica finished off the last Booma with her Autogun, a handgun with a blue energy vial, the trainers went to their "students."

"So, whadya' think?" T-65 asked, raising his Rifle into the air.

"Pathetic," Seth sighed, disappointing the trainees. "We need to see more movement next time. Baka, we're going this way." The two Hunters went through another gate.

"What am I doing wrong, Claire?" Galactica asked.

"Don't call me by my real name while I'm in uniform," Claire said. "It's Gun Snipe. Anyway, your footwork is fine, but I don't see why you chose that weapon. Why not use a Rifle instead?"

"A handgun is more comfortable to hold," Galactica explained calmly.

"I know what you mean," the Ramarl replied empathetically. "But we have better options than that. You need more power than that. Give these Mechguns a try," she said, handing the Android two larger automatic guns with green energy vials. "Be careful with these things. They sorta have a kick to them."

"What about me?" T-65 asked.

"You need to move around a little more," Gun Snipe said, taking a battle pose with her Beam rifle. "Don't just stand there and shoot unless the target's waaaay out there. While those Boomas were starting to get in your face, you just sat there blasting away. Next time, look around and back up or strafe. What's the weapon you use for close range?"

"I don't know," T-65 shrugged.

"A shotgun!" she shouted, switching her rifle for a large crossbow-like gun. "The bullets only go so far and it hits more than one target. Now, what do you use for medium range?"

"Mechguns or handguns," Galactica said, raising her hand and getting a glare from T-65.

"Good," the RAmarl said positively. "And long range is…"

"Rifle," both Androids said.

"Good," she said, walking towards a gate. "Now let's move on to another skill."

---

Seth was standing at the gate, watching Xero struggle against a group of Goboomas and wolves with his green Saber. He was holding them off, although, getting smacked and downed a few times. Each time he got up, he fought harder. Soon, only a single Gobooma remained. Both Xero and the snarling animal clashed against each other, Saber to claw. Xero put all of his weight into it as the animal was starting to be pushed back. It stopped when its claw finally burned off, leaving Xero slash it across the face and finish it off.

"Ha ha ha!" Xero laughed at the fallen animal. "Can't handle this! Because I'm Xero dammit! I can do whatever I want dammit!"

"What exactly is your name supposed to mean?" Seth asked, stopping the ego trip. "Is it some bullshit alias you saw somewhere?"

"Wha…What're you talkin' about?" Xero said, trying to find the right words. "Xero's… 100…Xero."

"And unstoppable, right?" Seth said, putting away his Gladius.

"Yeah," Xero agreed approvingly. "Pretty much."

"Hit me," Seth said, walking up to Xero.

"What?" Xero asked, stepping back.

"Take a swing at me with your blade," Seth said calmly. "Let's see how good the mighty Xero is."

"I'm not hitting you with this," Xero said, holding back his Saber.

"Don't force me to attack you," Seth warned. "You might not get back up after I hit you."

"But…"

"Do it!" Seth barked.

"Okay, man," Xero warned. He made a vertical slash at Seth, who caught it with his right, gloved hand. "Whoa!"

"Now, tell me," Seth said dully, holding the energy blade without discomfort. "Why hasn't my hand exploded or even melted yet?" Xero didn't have an answer. "The same reason why it took so long to cut that animal's paw off. All hunter weapons draw their strength from their users. If the user is weak, the weapon is weak."

"Hey!" Xero said defensively, turning off his Saber. "If I had your saber, I could kill everything here in 5 minutes."

"Is that so?" Seth asked. "Prove it." He put the hilt of his Gladius in Xero's hand, taking the regular Saber for himself. "Let's move on to the next area."

---

"_Alright, pay attention!_" Gun Snipe whispered to the Androids in a fake dialect, as they hid in the bushes, close to the ground. "_Now, what I'm gonna' do, is lay right here and wait for me prey to come on out into the open. This skill is called stalkin_."

"_How long does this take_?" Galactica asked, seeing her take out her Beam rifle.

_"Depends on 'ow good you are, mate,"_ the Human smiled as she crawled a little to the side. _"Ohp! Here comes somethin now. Hush now!"_

"Hey wait a sec," T-65 said, noticing his radar.

_"Pipe down!" _Gun Snipe whispered harshly. _"I think I can tag this one. After its hit, you two jump out and finish it."_ She couldn't see her target very clearly, but she knew it was a small creature, maybe a Rappy. It stopped moving, sensing that something was nearby. As the RAmarl pulled the trigger, a dark purple cloud emanated from her target. As they heard the shot go off, T-65 and Galactica jumped out of the bushes with guns ready.

"Mom?" T-65 said, staring at the "target."

"Oops!" Mina said embarrassedly, her hand letting off purple smoke.

"Crikey!" Gun Snipe exclaimed, as the darkness moved to where she was and flashed into nothingness.

"Gun Snipe?" Mina said, hearing her from the bushes. "Are you okay?"

"Goddammit, Mina!" Claire yelled angrily without the fake accent, crawling out of the bushes and leaning in towards the FOmarl. "Look what you did to my gun! My… beautiful Beam… rif-llllle!" she cried, falling to her knees sobbing.

"I'm sorry!" Mina apologized in a panick. "I didn't know it was you! Don't cry! We can fix it!"

"You destroyed it!" the RAmarl sobbed, pathetically showing the remaining ashes slip through her fingers.

"Oh," Mina said, embarrassed.

"Couldn't you buy a new one?" Galactica suggested.

"Fat chance," Gun Snipe sniffled, drying her tears. "You don't just find something like that at some store."

"What are you doin' out here anyway?" T-65 asked the FOmarl.

"I'm on a quest for candy," Mina answered. "You wouldn't happen to know where…"

"Screw the candy!" Gun Snipe boomed, standing up. "No ones going anywhere till I get a new gun!"

"Mom," T-65 said, expecting something from her.

"Fine," Mina said, taking out her Soul Assaults. "You can have these."

"Oh, thank you!" Gun Snipe said, picking up Mina in another hug. "I love mechguns! And this Soul ability makes 'em worth more than my regular old rifle."

_"I guess she does know what it's like to be squeezed like that," _T-65 whispered to his sister.

_"Indeed,"_ she said back.

---

"Here they come," Seth said as he and Xero saw several Boomas dig out of the ground in front of them. Seth turned on the Saber in preparation.

"Hey, what's wrong with this thing?" Xero said, since the Gladius wouldn't activate. Seth ran ahead and quickly killed half of the Boomas with two slices each. He destroyed the remaining Boomas with a relatively powerful explosion of Rafoie.

"There's nothing wrong with it," he said calmly, decapitating two Boomas just before they completely rose out the ground. "You're the problem."

"What!" Xero exclaimed. "Me?"

"Did you listen to what I said?" Seth asked gruffly, killing two wolves as they trotted out of the foliage. "The weapon gets its power from the user. You, however, aren't strong enough to properly wield a weapon of that caliber." He then tossed the Saber to Xero, while backhanding a stray Booma behind him.

"Here ya go!" Xero said, tossing the Gladius to Seth. Seth ignored the weapon, battering the Booma with his fists and actually killing it. When a wolf dived at him, he gave it a swift kick to the nose to knock it on its side and finished it with a bolt of Zonde. With all of the animals defeated, Seth turned back to the Gladius that was on the ground, moving his hair out of his face.

"Thanks," he said, finally picking up the weapon. "Another lesson you should know is that you can't always rely on your weapons."

"Now you're just showin' off," Xero said, crossing his arms.

"Think of it as proving a point," Seth replied, smirking. Then, he looked behind him, sensing someone else's presence. "See something interesting, Yami?" he asked the figure.

"Some things never change, do they Seraph?" said Yami Megami, leaning on a gate on the opposite side of the area and armed with a scythe. "I see that you've finally found time to come out and play. Did you make a new friend?"

"Ha ha ha," Xero laughed a bit awkwardly. "My name's Xero. I'm just…"

"I'm training him," Seth said, ignoring what the HUmar said. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me by that title. It's outdated."

"Fine, Sethiroff," she complied. "Have you ever considered rejoining?"

"Never," he said gruffly. "My life's been ruined enough, thanks. But I'll bet you're enjoying every bit of it."

"What can I say?" she smiled slyly. "I like what I do. And right now, I have a job to do." Having said that, she turned her back on them and walked off.

"Who was that?" Xero asked.

"_That,_" Seth said with emphasis, "was a dangerous Force named Yami Megami. It's time for us to go to Forest 2. Maybe you'll learn something there."

---

Meanwhile, Taya was at Misha's home. At the moment, she was talking to her newest friend from the tournament, Bea, on the phone. Taya was still in her purple school uniform, having just gotten home from school. Bea was in a purple fleece jacket.

"So you guys are hunters, too?" Taya asked.

"Yep," Bea replied. "In fact, we're part of ABC, a club for hunters."

"What's it like?" the little girl asked.

"Really fun," Bea said. "Most hunters are mercenaries and bounty hunters. But some just like to have the opportunities that a Hunter's License can give you. Sometimes, it's just about learning a skill or even just helping people. Even a kid can be a hunter."

"Really?" Taya bubbled with enthusiasm.

"We have a kid on our team," Bea said, as a door could be heard slamming in the background. "We call her Little T. She's a Newman Force just like me, except she's only one year old."

"She must have grown up really fast," Taya marveled.

"Nope," Bea shook her head, as voices could be heard in the background. "She's not even an adolescent yet. So you see, just about anyone can be a hunter…even you and Misha. Judging from the alignment of your ears," she said, noting Taya's somewhat horizontally perked ears, "I'd say that you'd make a great Force, a FOnewearl."

"What's going on over there?" Taya asked, noticing the commotion going on in the background.

"I'm just moving in with Jay," Bea replied. "He and his little group are helping out."

"Where's that photon atomizer?" Jay could be heard in the background, straining to carry something. "We ain't just gonna lug a whole piano around the house! It's too frickin' big!"

"So, how was your day?" Bea asked cheerfully, ignoring his complaints.

"Great!" Taya exclaimed with zeal. "The tournament got to the finals and it was a really good match! There were all sorts of cool monsters like Sanct Beasts, and Evil Fairies, and white dragons with the _cuuutest_ blue eyes, and cool magic cards, and…oh! The special player for the championship was the creator of Phantasy Monsters himself, Escuro Coli!"

"Escuro Solearth Coli, the billionaire?" Bea asked excitedly.

"Uh huh!" Taya acknowledged. "He had some of the rarest cards like Legacy of the Damned, and Dark Force, and Profound Darkness, and…"

"Don't forget Dark Gundam!" Misha added, walking into the room. "He totally whipped Serenity! The match ended in like five turns, with a whole lot of super strong monsters out on his side… Not that she really cared."

"I don't think she likes Phantasy Monsters very much," Taya commented, "but she's really good at it."

"She's like that for everything," Misha said dryly. "She's great at just about everything: sports, math, science, plays, singing, poetry, but she doesn't like any of it."

"Then, what _does _she like?" Bea asked. Then Misha's sister, Daniela walked into the room in her cute white FOnewearl outfit with red and black trims. It was a strapless blouse with unattached sleeves. She also had matching skorts, shoes, and a large ribbon in her hair. She had lavender lipstick and some yellow face paint that looked like exaggerated eyelashes. A black collar held her Section ID.

"Hey, you two," Daniela said with her hand on her hip. "What flavor do you want for dinner? Steak, chicken, or fish?"

"Fish," Misha answered.

"Um, Misha?" Taya looked to her.

"That's right," Misha remembered, nodding. "You don't like that. Well, just give us the chicken. When's it gonna' be ready?"

"When Mom gets home," Daniela stated, exiting. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Who was that?" Jay asked curiously, slowly sliding onscreen as Bea rolled her eyes. "Your sister?"

"Yeah," Misha replied dryly. "Why do you want to know?" Jay then nodded over one of his assistants, a Gerudo.

"This is Kanage," he said, pointing to a golden-eyed redhead of tan complexion. "Notice anything?"

"Yeah," Misha said. "She looks like my sister, just like the rest those ladies."

"Exactly," Jay said. "Are your sister's hair, eyes, and skin naturally that color?"

"Yeah," Misha said, not seeing the point. "So?"

"He thinks your sister might be a Gerudo," Bea explained disbelievingly.

"Hey, there's a chance!" Jay contended. "And that's not the only similarity I've noticed."

"Don't start with that again," Bea sighed, rolling her eyes again.

"Misha," Jay said, pushing Bea's face forward so that it covered the entire screen. "Take a good look at this pretty little face." Misha absorbed her features into her memory: her small nose, calm purple eyes, light freckling on her cheeks, and her long light blue hair. "Now take a look at your friend." Misha then looked to Taya and studied her face: a petite nose, placid blue eyes, a hint of freckling, and not-so-long sky blue hair.

"You two look a lot alike!" Misha said with some surprise.

"See!" Jay exclaimed. "You've gotta' be related!"

"I'm not saying there isn't a chance," Bea said honestly, backing up from the screen, "but you can't just expect us to be related because we look alike. Plenty of people look like someone else. Like the Guild girls, the Council scientists, military guards…"

"Oh yeah?" Jay said slyly. "What about that other Force that looks _exactly_ like you. The _only_ differences are barely noticeable, like her ever-so slightly darker hair. You've had a whole lotta' people askin' about that… Hey, ladies!" he called to the busy Gerudos. "Don't you think that Bea has a long, lost sister?"

"Don't know, don't care," one answered apathetically, walking by with a box. "Unless you're giving us a raise or a bonus, you'd better get back to work."

"Killjoy," Jay muttered, leaving to help them.

"Are you adopted too?" Taya asked Bea emphatically.

"No," Bea said casually, "just orphaned when I was born."

"Wait a minute," Misha said, just thinking of something. "How can you two be related if Taya's still a kid like me, but you're all grown-up?"

"That's a damn good point!" Bea said, not knowing how she missed it. "Hey, genius!" she called to Jay. "How can she be my sister if she's so much younger than me?"

"No one said ya had to be twins!" Jay yelled back. "Tell ya what! We'll have the team do an investigation. And I'll bet 20 bucks that you have a sister!"

"And if I win?" Bea asked looking in his direction. "…Oh…you're on!" she said, getting his off-screen message. "But just remember that this bet is separate from that one about Little T!"

"Um, I'll call you back," Taya said nervously, seeing that the conversation had flown off the handle.

"And you know you can't win that bet!" Bea said, still talking to Jay. Taya decided to just hang up.

"Do you think I might really have a sister?" Taya asked, looking to Misha.

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully. "Bea might be older, but she still looks a lot like you would if you were older. But either way, you don't even need a sister. If you had one, you wouldn't be as nice as you are. She'd be like, '_Taya, did you do this for me? Taya, did you go into my room? Taya, I get first dibs on the bathroom in the morning.'_ So don't sweat it."

"Thanks," Taya said, entertained by the imitation.

"Besides," Misha added. "You've got a brother who's _kinda_ cool. Who needs a sister when you have him?"

---

"Quit callin' me a girl!" Xero shouted at Seth, as the rain poured down on them. It was a bit of a downpour, being that Xero could barely see through the mist and splashing water.

"I will when you stop fighting like one," Seth said coldly. "Since you're still a beginner, don't just run up to your enemy. Fight smart. Attack and back off. Use your Techniques."

"All I have is the ice one," Xero complained.

Seth sighed and replied, "Use that on groups and Hildebears. It's too weak for anything else. In the meantime, look for Zonde, Foie, and Resta." As soon as he finished his sentence, three Hildebears splashed down in front of them from a nearby cliff. "Here's your chance! "

"Crap," Xero cursed to himself, moving forward to approach the threatening mammoths. He focused his energy and formed cold air in front of him to prepare a Barta. Just as he unleashed it upon one of them, the other two spat fireballs at him. Much to his surprise, they did little to harm him, merely singing his suit. It was too wet for flame attacks to have much use. He made the split-second decision to move back just as one of them swung its fist at him. Then, he took a moment to concentrate, forcing out another Barta before the apes could attack again. They were only mildly irritated, with his Technique being so weak. He backed away again, repeating the process.

_"At least he's learning,"_ Seth thought, noting that Xero hadn't been hit since before the fight began. As Xero's pattern continued, he began to lure the animals toward Seth. "Don't even think about it," Seth warned. "If you run out of energy, drink a Monofluid and keep going until they're dead." Xero groaned in response to his plan being unveiled so easily and lured the animals away from his trainer.

"Seth!" called a female voice from behind him. He turned to see a short FOmarl in a purple dress sloshing through the deep, muddy puddles with a small blue Staff.

"Mina?" he responded, somewhat surprised as she ambled to him. She was completely soaked, with her bangs matted to her face while the rest of her hair hung limply. Her genuinely cute appearance combined with her persevering smile gave him a few butterflies in the stomach."

"What's up?" she asked, snapping him out of his trance. She blushed in realization of this.

"Training," he said, glancing back at Xero for a second, who was running from the tireless Hildebears. "What are you doing out here?"

"On a quest of course," she said. "Have you seen any girls baking things or selling sweets or anything like that?"

"_Iie,_" he replied, shaking his head. "Nothing of that sort around here. This would be a terrible place for anything like that."

"Well, do you know where something like that would be?" she pleaded, stepping closer. "I need to get off this planet before sundown." Seth hesitated with his answer, turning to the side, trying to hide his blushing face. She had one of those faces that softened his heart and made him feel weak.

"Hey, guys!" Xero called out to them from some distance, being cornered by the now shivering Hildebears. "Little help!"

"Seth?" Mina asked, gently grasping his arm. Both were oblivious to Xero's pleas. "Please… Just tell me anything you know. You know more about cooking than I do."

"Please, stop it," Seth said, avoiding her pleading stare with pain in his voice. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Mina asked, puzzled.

"Don't look at me like that," Seth said, still looking away. "You used to do that all the time… and you were the only one that would make me feel…"

"Oh," she said, blushing briefly. "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to open old wounds."

"You said it yourself," he said with bitter-sweetness. "We can't be that way around each other anymore… That's why I wasn't surprised when you started avoiding me." Mina sank into a look of guilt after hearing his words. "I'm sure it's been as hard for you as it's been for me."

"I thought it was for the best," Mina said sadly, now opting to look at the saturated soil.

"Guys!" Xero yelled with more desperation.

"Maybe it was for the best," Seth said more optimistically. "I still don't know. All I know is that we still haven't fully recovered. But as much as I hated it, like you said, we can still be…friends." The accursed word came out painfully. He looked directly at her, no longer hiding his reddened face. His expression softened immediately upon seeing her. "You should be able to find what you're looking for in the Caves. They're big enough to hide from the monsters and they have the right humidity for baking."

"Crap, crap, crap!" Xero exclaimed.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go rescue my trainee," he said as he opened a Telepipe for her before running towards the Hildebears, who were in close combat with Xero.

"Thank you, Seth," Mina smiled, teleporting away as Seth activated his Gladius. Before he could make a single attack, each ape collapsed one by one. Xero was standing there with his Saber breathing heavily, but unharmed.

"I got tired of waiting," Xero said, winded. "So I was liked 'screw it!' and I just used my Saber. That's how I got through this place before."

"I'm impressed, Baka," Seth said, with a smirk. "You took down three of the most dangerous variety of animal around, all at one time without getting a scratch. All you need now are more Techniques and a gun and you'll be done with your training."

"So're we done for today?" Xero asked, ready to go.

"Nope!" Gun Snipe announced, walking from behind them and being followed by T-65 and Galactica. "We've still gotta' slay the Dragon!"

"Aw!" Xero whined. "Do we have to?"

"Stop that!" the RAmarl snapped. "That's whinging bitch behavior!"

"Is that even a word?" T-65 asked.

"It doesn't matter," she said, glancing at him. "If you don't wanna' do something, don't say it like a lazy-ass Coralian."

"Hey!" Xero said, offended.

"Say it like a Motavian!" she continued. "Like…'screw that!' or 'when I feel like it!"

"I got one!" Xero said enthusiastically. "… Who's we? You got a turd in your pocket?" Everyone frowned at his less than stellar timing.

"I think it's time to go now," T-65 said, following Galactica and Seth.

---

"Fucking _dulces,_" Anne cursed as she walked through a dark alley. She and Miguel had taken the same quest as Mina and were searching for candy on the ship. Miguel was elsewhere, in a section of the city full of other Androids called Sector 13. Anne, on the other hand was in the ghetto of Pioneer 2, the infamous Sector 8. It was the most probable place to find an illegal product like sweets. Unfortunately, it also had the most unsavory types of people.

"Well, well, well," said a disembodied voice. "What do we have here? _Una pequeña robusteza bonita._" Anne looked around to see if she could spot the source.

"Looks like a robo-girl," said another voice. "And she's a hunter!"

"If we bag this one," said another voice, "those 'Droids won't have nothin' on us."

"Come out so I can see you!" Anne yelled, annoyed. "_Pinché_ Newk" At least a dozen figures came out of the shadows. There were Newmans all around her, sneering. Some were even above her, hanging onto streetlights and balconies.

"You speak ma language, huh _muchacha_?" asked one of the males in front of her.

"_Lo hablo mejor que usted, bendejo!_" she yelled, keeping notice of the others.

""I wouldn't talk like that if I were you," said another. "You're in our territory now."

"This doesn't have to be so bad," said a female from behind, with too much sweetness in her speech to be a good sign. "If you turn yourself off, we'll just take you apart and you won't have to feel a thing. I think I'll take those pretty heels."

"Yeah, make it easy on yourself," said the original male, laughing. "Don't be such a pūta bitch."

_"Why do I have to take shit everywhere I go?"_ Anne thought to herself. _"I hope Miguel's having as much fun as I am,"_ she thought sarcastically.

---

"You like drink, yes?" a large white Android asked Miguel, offering him a large bottle. They were in a lounge full of other Androids drinking to their circuits' content, with music blaring.

"Hell yeah!" Miguel shouted, grabbing the bottle. "You guys are alright! Booze, beer, and more booze!"

"You are welcome any time, my friend," he replied, patting Miguel on the back. "I am sorry for not finding candy. Would you like straw?"

"Use this instead," said a smaller, green female Android, handing him a funnel.

"A funnel?" Miguel asked, astonished. "Hmph, they say we Androids don't know how to party, and here you guys are having a bash during your break."

"We work hard, we play hard," she said smiling.

"Chug, chug, chug!" the rest of them yelled, as Miguel put the funnel to his barely visible mouth and tilted the bottle.

---

"So what's it gonna' be?" the Newman asked. "The easy way or the hard way?" Anne weighed her options. She could try to escape, despite the fact that the Newks had surrounded her. Or she could fight her way out. She liked the second option more. She hesitated for a second, then motioned that she chose "the hard way," taking a fighting stance.

"This is more fun anyway," the female said casually. Half a dozen Newks lunged after Anne from all sides, including the people that just spoke to her. Before they made contact, there was a burst of frost from a trap, freezing Anne's attackers in blocks of ice. She used a roundhouse kick to knock the frozen Newmans into the surrounding crowd and leaped onto the iced female Newman, riding the block as it slid through the gang like a bowling ball. She then grasped a passing fire-escape ladder and flipped up to the main platform.

"Don't let'er get away!" someone yelled from below. A man that had managed to make his way across the broken streetlights and fire escapes quickly greeted her. She dodged his immediate punch and countered with her own, knocking him off the platform. Two Newmans snuck up from behind her, having come down the stairs from a platform above her.

"Hey!" she shouted as one of them grabbed her from behind. She battered him with her large ponytail by looking right and left, breaking his hold. Then, she jabbed him in the chest and face, knocking him out with clanks of her fists. The other man caught her off guard with a sucker punch to the face.

"Aaah!" he yelled, shaking his hand from the pain of striking her.

"You fight like a bitch," she said, backhanding him out of the way.

"Then why don't you fight us?" said a girl flipping down from the platform above. Another girl kicked off the wall to jump to the platform from below. One was armed with a crowbar while the other had a sturdy-looking Stick.

_"Not enough room!"_ Anne thought. She picked up one of the fallen men, using him as a Newman shield against their strikes. She maneuvered her way to the other side of the platform where the stairs were. She tossed the man at her pursuers as she ran up the stairs. She soon noticed that reinforcements were coming from above. She retracted her heels into her feet and leapt onto the guardrail, using it to leap to a windowsill on the opposing wall. She punched through the window and was able to climb through. She stumbled through an empty apartment and found her way to the front door. She peaked outside and walked through the dimly lit hallway.

"A 'Droid!" someone yelled from behind. She glanced back and upon seeing three Newmans take out Handguns down the hallway, she broke into a run and turned a corner as they started to fire. She used the transporter down the hallway to go to the main entrance. Fortunately for her, there was no one there. She peeked outside and exited the building.

"This is too much work over candy," she said to herself as she moved down the block. Then she heard voices from some distance away.

"You know where she went?" asked a male voice.

"Nah, but she couldn't a gotten far," said a female. Anne entered the nearest building, finding herself in a convenience store. The only person there was the sales clerk at the counter, another Newman.

"Oh no!" he said nervously. "I don't want any trouble! Take what ever you want; just don't hurt me!"

"I don't plan to," she said, looking out the window. "I'm not a 'Droid, just a…" She turned around to see him nervously holding a gun.

"Get out!" he yelled. "I'll shoot!"

"Sheesh!" she huffed as she ran out of the store and down the block, passing right by her pursuers.

"There she is!" one yelled. "Get her!" She tried to ignore them, focusing on getting away. A bolt of electricity suddenly stopped her in mid-stride, letting her fall to the metal ground with a clang. She was temporarily paralyzed from the shock, as all Androids were vulnerable to electricity. The Newmans all began to dive onto her to keep her from getting away.

"Get off me!" she screamed angrily, regaining her movement. There were three people on her, holding her arms and legs down, and holding her in a headlock. She strained her gears and muscles, beginning to lift all three Newmans in one mighty pushup. Soon, they all slid off of her and rolled to the ground. She got to her feet and identified the person who had shocked her…one of the girls she had encountered before who was holding a Stick. She had been standing off to the side, staying out of immediate contact. She prepared to fire another bolt, but Anne tossed her boomerang-like Slicer at the black-haired Newman, knocking the stick out of her hands and disrupting her concentration. Anne took advantage of her vulnerability and punched her in the face, knocking her into a wall as the HUcaseal caught her returning Slicer. The Android then turned in time to use her energy shield to block a crowbar that had been swung by the other female. Anne flipped backwards with a cyclone kick, knocking her opponent on her back. She then threw the Slicer at the other two Newmans, who had been standing back to let the females do most of the fighting. They jumped back as the Slicer slashed through their clothing, leaving cuts on their torsos.

"Screw this!" one shouted as they both ran off.

"Whew!" Anne sounded taking a moment to rest. Her moment was interrupted as she jumped out of the way to narrowly avoid a hovercar. It swerved into the air and made a U-turn, heading for her again. Two Newmans stuck their heads out of the window with guns. Anne also noticed that another hovercar was speeding from behind her.

_"¡Mierda!_" she cursed under her breath.

_Notes:_ Ha! I'm leaving you with a cliffhanger. Let's review what's happened in this episode, shall we? Our Newman girls have just come back from school after seeing the creator of Phantasy Monsters totally destroy his opposition. Claire shows that she really likes her job. Seth and Mina talk about their past relationship. Xero proves that he's not atotal wuss. And Anne faces the consequences of stepping into bad territory.

_On the next episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ We continue from "Bittersweet." Our heroes continue their quest for sweets. And our trainees take on the Dragon again. But things are a little different this time. It's the follow-up, "Sweet n' Sour." Don't forget to brush your teeth…**Only Toonami!**


	18. Sweet n' Sour

**Chapter 18: Sweet n' Sour**

The two cars approached Anne swiftly, about to crush her in the middle. Suddenly, a pink and black blur dropped near her.

"Ana, Move!" the figure yelled, tackling her off the road. "Stay down," she said as the cars passed over them, barely missing each other.

"Pilipa?" Anne guessed her identity, feeling that this person looked familiar. Her savior was a pink and black HUcaseal of similar height. Similar to Anne, the middle area of her torso, abdomen, and her knee-high boots were white. Her face, however, had fair synthetic skin, red lipstick, and grey realistic eyes. She also had pink hair, mixed of synthetic and metal, that covered half of her face and a three-pronged pink and black bow.

"Stay down!" she replied, taking out her blue boomerang-like Spinner. "Fire!" she yelled loudly as she threw the Spinner at one of the turning cars. Suddenly a flurry of photon bullets began to fly at both cars, causing both of them to crash into the ground and grind to a halt.

"What's going on?" Anne asked, bewildered.

The pink HUcaseal glanced around for a second before getting up and announcing, "It's cool guys!"

"Friggin' Newks!" said a large, black, flattop-headed RAcast with glowing yellow eyes as he walked out of an alley, carrying a Sniper rifle.

"It's always somethin' with them," said another RAcast, following the previous one of the alley. This one was purple, slightly shorter, but wider, had a shogun-like head, and also carried a Sniper.

"Wait'll I get my hands on those shits!" shouted a redheaded, tanned HUnewearl hopping out of a second story window near the group. She was wearing a black jacket, a short yellow miniskirt, and thigh-high boots.

"Watch out!" Anne shouted. "There's another one!"

"Don't worry about her," said a dark-skinned RAmar wearing light blue armor and a headband to keep his violet dreadlocks out of his face. "She's on our side." Sure enough, she walked over to one of the wrecks, punched a whole into an undamaged window and yanked out the driver.

"Maraico?!" she yelled angrily at the grimacing Newman she held by the collar. "You asswhipes are still pullin' this shit?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"_No hablo ingles,_" he replied, smiling arrogantly.

"The fuck you don't!" she shouted, slamming him against the vehicle.

"You okay, Ana?" the other HUcaseal asked, ignoring the constant stream of swears.

"Thanks," Anne said, rising to her feet. "What are you doing out her, Pi…?"

"It's just P," the pink one said. "If you have to say my name, call me Pikalika. I'm with the ABC team now. That girl with the dirty mouth is Q," she nodded toward the HUnewearl who was now battering each Newk unconscious. "Um, she has coprolalia."

"What?" Anne asked.

"It's a Tourette's Syndrome thing," P said. "She can't help it."

"I'm K," the RAmar said, shaking Anne's hand. "And those two are Capital G and Heavy D," he said, motioning toward the black RAcast and the purple RAcast.

"Ma'am," the black G nodded, as did the purple D.

"So, do all of you have names that start with those letters?" Anne asked. They nodded in response. "And since when did you have skin, Pili…?

"Cool it with the name!" P shushed. Then, she smiled, "So ya' like my new look, huh?"

"Ladies," K interrupted, "this isn' a good time or place to talk about that. There're still plenty of Newks around here. We need to get that candy and get out."

"Hey, Q!" G yelled to the HUnewearl. "Bring one of those guys over here!"

"And make sure he's still conscious!" P added. Then she commented to the others, "I swear, if it weren't for us, that girl would kill somebody."

-----------------------------------------------------

"Whew!" Mina panted as she appeared in the Caves 1. "It's hotter than the desert in here!" She stepped through the opening metal door and saw why. She saw the lava flows on both sides of the cave that T-65 had told her about. She also heard the sharks that appeared. Knowing that she only had a couple of hours before sunset, she raced into battle with her trusty Mind Autogun. She tossed a ball of fire at each. Two shots of the Autogun later, both sharks were on the ground. She stepped away from the door, seeing another door on the other side of the cavern.

_"This place is huge!"_ she thought, noting how high the ceiling was. It was probably over 50 feet high. She noted that the cave was artificial, since there were doors and a few stairs to even out the ground. What especially caught her attention were the various puddles of blue-green liquid on the ground. As soon as she left the final step, she heard the distinct sound of teleporting behind her. She was startled by 7-foot, white lilies that seemed to stare back at her. She slowly backed away, not comfortable with the way they tracked her movement. Then, they arched back and spat green goop at her, which she was able to sidestep. Suspecting that what they weren't trying to be friendly, she simply walked toward her previous destination. As she approached the next door, another pair of giant flowers appeared, this time blocking the door. She was starting to suspect that these creatures had the same mentality as the forest animals.

"I don't have time for this," she frowned. She dashed forward, determined to bypass the flowers. The plants, startled by her action, stood straight up and closed their buds. The sudden shrieking noise they emitted shocked her, but it was the sudden loss of feeling in her body that caused her to trip and fall between the flowers' stems, dangerously close to the edge of the floor next to the boiling lava. When she tried crawling up to the door, she realized that it was locked. The evil plants then began to snap at her with their beak-like blooms. Too numb to feel anything, she tried to blast them with a Technique. Nothing happened, except the plants began to snap at her outstretched hand. When she stretched out her other hand to shoot the plants with her weapon, they knocked it out of her hand and into the lava.

"Shimatta!" she yelled in frustration, scooting closer to the door and out of their range. The plants finally stopped snapping at her. Instead, one reared back and spat the green ooze at her, while the other snickered as it splattered on her helpless form. She immediately felt the effects, as she curled into a ball grasping her pained stomach.

_"It…feels like I'm having an ulcer!"_ she thought painfully. _"Must be some kind of absorbent poison… I refuse to go out like this!"_ she thought, as a purple darkness began to surround her, shadowing the glowing lava on both edges next to her. She thrust her arm outward, as her hand was engulfed in darkness. She fired a cloudy, dark ball of energy at the lily that tried to snap at her. Its entire form was disintegrated in purple flames as the plant shrieked in pain. Mina then took another painful breath, charging a second Technique and disintegrating the other plant a few seconds later. Her dark aura faded as she calmed down and used another Technique to heal herself with blue and green sparkles, not of minor wounds, but of the poisoning. The pain instantly subsided as she leaned against the door, sighing of relief.

"Gotta' get this over with," she said, remembering her time limit. She took out her special tool, made just for opening locked doors.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Get ready guys!" Gun Snipe announced as the Dragon dove underground. "Stay close to the walls and watch the radar!" The Dragon burrowed toward her. She hopped right onto its form, seemingly surfing along the ground. "Yeehaw!"

"What the hell, man?!" Xero exclaimed. "Is she crazy or somethin'?"

"Just wait for it!" Seth yelled at him. The Dragon abruptly blasted out of the ground, as Gun Snipe rolled down its back and fell clumsily to the ground. "Now!" Galactica, T-65, and Xero moved in to attack, while Gun Snipe and Seth stood back.

"Bust a cap in his scaly ass!" Gun Snipe yelled to the Rangers. "Right in the head!"

"Swing at its feet to off-balance it!" Seth called to Xero. The Dragon landed with a thunderous crash, causing a shockwave to knock down all but Galactica, who had a solid stance. Even Seth and Gun Snipe had been shaken out of their unguarded stances.

"Dammit!" Xero cursed, with his face flat on the ground.

"I always forget about that," the RAcast thought out loud as he stumbled to his feet.

"Looks like its time for me to step in," the RAmarl said, kneeling with a smile.

"Hold it, Gun Snipe," Seth smirked. "Let's give them a chance to redeem themselves."

"You're no fun," Gun Snipe pouted, sitting back down.

Then the Dragon snarled angrily as Galactica shot it in the eye. Unlike any time before, it suddenly gave its full attention to her and stomped ominously towards her.

"That's different," Galactica commented stepping back. The next shot she took was the last straw for the legendary lizard. It spat a fireball and sprinted toward her, completely ignoring T-65 and Xero. "Help!" she yelled running the other way.

"At least she pissed it off," Gun Snipe shrugged, getting to her feet.

"This is a fiasco," Seth sighed. "Go for it." He then broke into a run towards Galactica.

"Here we go!" Gun Snipe said joyfully. She tried to equip her rifle from her ISL, only to remember that it had been destroyed. So instead, she jogged over to T-65, who along with Xero had been watching the saurian monster gain on the RAcaseal. "Hey, you! Gimme your Rifle!"

"Why?" he asked, handing it to her.

"I'm going to take that thing down in one shot," she replied, removing the green energy vial on the gun and replacing it with a pink vial. "It's just like taking out Wyrm Drakes back home on Motav, 'cept this bastard doesn't have armor." She took careful aim using the scope.

Meanwhile, the Dragon was snapping at Galactica as it got closer to the surprisingly swift Android. Seth had made his way over and tackled Galactica to the side. The Dragon stumbled to a clumsy stop to turn itself toward the two. It made another growl before a pink photon bullet entered the side of its head and exited on the other side. The beast paused in shock before keeling over.

"Are you hurt?" Seth asked the shocked RAcaseal.

"It didn't do anything like that before," she said, staring at its fading body

"And that's…how you take down….a Dragon," Gun Snipe breathed heavily, walking forward with the other two hunters. "You guys aren't too bad…Just be a little more careful…and work on your aim."

"You okay?" T-65 asked the seemingly exhausted RAmarl.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling euphorically. "I'm perfectly fine."

"So we can go home?" Xero said. "Because it's getting kinda late."

"That might explain the Dragon's unusual behavior today," Seth said.

"You mean the rumor's true?" T-65 asked.

"Apparently animals get more dangerous when the sun begins to set," Seth clarified.

"Let's not stick around to find out," Gun Snipe said, opening a green telepipe.

-------------------------------------------------------------

By that time, Mina had found out that there was some truth to the rumor. The monsters in the Caves had begun to fight more aggressively. She was no longer in the oppressively hot area full of lava flows. She had made her way through the large, lava area and made it to a section that was much more pleasant. It was cooler, full of damp rock, and pools of water. What amazed her the most, besides monsters and architecture that Pioneer 1 personnel had obviously installed, was that there were actually trees and ponds in various chambers that had light creeping through the ceiling. The ponds were alive with small fish, while the corridors had ghostly jellyfish that floated in the air and disappeared into the wall at any sign of a threat.

"Shimatta!" Mina cursed, as she destroyed an entire corridor's worth of floating trap mines with a chain of electricity. Someone had placed these throughout the Caves. She didn't know why and she didn't care at the moment. She was running out of time. With less than an hour before evening officially started, she had been running through the Caves, having to avoid staring at the marvels she found. The next room she entered was one of the less impressive parts of Caves 2. It was a dimly lit room with a single hole in the center of the ceiling to let in light and a constant drip of water. She had learned to be cautious of the ankle-deep water she had to wade through. Previously, she had encountered a slime creature that could slide through the water unnoticeably and suddenly strike with a razor tendril.

"Stop right where you are!" someone said from the other side of the room.

"Who's there?" Mina asked, holding her Staff close.

"What are you doing here?" the person asked. "Shouldn't you be leaving? It's almost sunset."

"I have a mission to finish," Mina answered. "I don't want to fight anyone. Have you seen three sisters around?" An electronic noise sounded from the other person and a hologram of a smiley with a thumbs-up appeared, illuminating the darkness around the person.

"Blasted Symbol Chat!" the obvious FOmarl cursed, turning her back on Mina, so as not to reveal her identity. From the brief glimpse of her that Mina got, the FOmarl was in a red and black dress, holding a scythe. "You may proceed." She suddenly summoned a portal and left.

"Strange," Mina said, moving on to the next door.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Anne, along with several members of Team ABC, had arrived at an area where a dealer sometimes appeared. It would still be difficult to tell exactly who was the dealer. Most of the hunters hid in the alley, while Q stood out on the corner.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Anne asked. "All I've seen are a bunch of thieves, whores, and other scum."

"Q knows what she's doing," K said confidently.

"Yeah, she knows a lot of people around here," P agreed. "Probably beat up half of 'em." They became silent as a scantily clad female Human approached Q.

"Hey there," she said in a sulky voice. "You wanna' come have some fun with me?"

"Fuck off," the Newman said, not moving from her spot. "I'm straight."

"Are you sure?" she asked teasingly. "It'll only cost a few Meseta."

"I only deal with guys, bitch," Q said with relative calm. "And the only whores I mess around with are the guys at Regalia. Y'know… where they have a license to do that shit. Now get the fuck outta' here."

"Aw come on!" the woman complained. "Those overpriced sluts wave around their fancy licenses and come into our territory…" Q lost her patience and slapped the woman, knocking her down.

"What'd I just say, bitch!?" Q yelled angrily.

"Q!" K yelled to her. "Calm."

"Calm," she repeated breathing in. "Shit."

"Stop," K said soothingly.

"Stop," she exhaled. "Fucking little…" The woman got the message and quickly left.

"It's really not her fault," K explained to Anne. "Q's disorder makes her say things she doesn't really mean."

"She sure does follow up on what she says," Anne muttered.

"What can I say, bot-girl?" Q said, hearing the comment. "Tourette's is some strong shit. I just gotta' curse. Kinda like when you have to sneeze."

"Ahem," Anne sounded.

"I know," Q said, turning to Anne. "You bitches don't sneeze. Well, the shit's hard to resist."

"Q?" asked another lady, this one a Newman in a black shirt and brown shorts. "What are you doing out here?"

"I've been waiting for your ass!" she yelled.

"Calm," K repeated.

"What do you want?" the other Newman asked, as Q inhaled.

"We need some candy," Q said. "We'll take anything ya got."

"Sorry, I'm all out," the dealer said.

"What the fuck?!" Q yelled. "Ya gotta' be shittin' me, Sue."

"It's been sold out since yesterday," Sue said, moving her red-pink hair out of her face.

"Fuck!" Q yelled, pulling her own hair.

"Come back in a few days," Sue said, leaving.

"So, where to now?" asked, walking out of the alley.

"Fuck if I know," Q replied. "If she doesn't have the shit, no fucker does."

"There's plenty of dealers around this area," P said optimistically.

"I'm sure someone will be willing to sell something to us," K added. "We just have to keep going."

"Fuck that!" Q shouted, turning around. "I'm outta' here!"

"Hold on!" G called out. "We're not finished!"

"No-no-no!" Q said quickly, turning back. "You, here. Me, there. Fuck you fuckers! I'm goin' home!"

"Do you four have any connections?" K asked the Androids, now that their Newman source had just left.

"I already sent a friend to Sector 13," Anne said, finally speaking up. "If the 'Droids have anything, they'll probably let him have it. I think it's about time I get in touch with him." Suddenly, a cab flew onto the scene and pulled up next to Anne. The back door opened and Miguel popped out.

"Finally found ya!" Miguel said, stepping out. "I managed to get something out of them. Get in."

"See ya, sis!" Anne said, hopping into the cab.

"Didn't we put C in Sector 13?" P asked, as the cab lifted off.

"She opted out of this one," K replied. "I don't think she wanted to use her influence like that."

"Great," P said dryly.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Mina had found her way into a third section of the arduously lengthy Caves. This one was much more developed than the previous two. Many of the walls were painted or metal-plated; there were imposing columns in corners; there were also vents to let in fresh air and signs that gave directions. Unfortunately, the monsters were here in force. She was currently evading two large, yellowish shark creatures in a large chamber. She then got an idea for dispatching them easier. She led the somewhat slow mutants to a small dragon that was minding its own business in a corner. When it noticed her getting to close, it turned directly toward her, opened its mouth and shot a blue beam that tore through the air. Mina sidestepped out of the way, leaving the beam to slam into sharks behind her. The dragon then flapped its wings and flew across the room, to a more comfortable distance.

_"Stupid sharks!"_ Mina thought, as she continued on her way. _"I've been down her for half an hour and not a sign of anyone."_ As she headed through a misty hallway after passing another door, she saw a sign on the ceiling that read "Restricted Area. High-Voltage Ahead." What really caught her attention was the sweet smell of baking coming from the next room. She made her way through another door and saw another amazing sight. There was a very large device in a wide room filled with supply boxes, giving off electrical discharge along the ceiling. Some of the cables that were connected to the ceiling had broken and were hanging. In the corner of the room were several blonde identical women in blue miniskirts and an RV, colored in pink and red, and labeled "Three Sister's Shortcake Wagon." Mina couldn't believe her eyes.

"Are you the bakers I'm looking for?" Mina asked, timidly walking to one of the women standing beside the van.

"To tell the truth," she began, "we aren't just bakers. We're the Cake Sisters! You'll never taste a cake better than ours!"

"Okay," the FOmarl replied, not knowing what to say.

"What do you think of the humidity?" the woman asked, enthusiastically smiling. "It's perfect! Pioneer 2 didn't let us make cakes, so we came down here! Hey, wanna' try one?"

"Wait," Mina said, snapping out of her trance. "How did you all get past the guards at the main transporter? And what about the monsters around here?"

"Guards? Monsters? Our will to bake cakes can't be stopped by petty things like that," the Cake Sister announced triumphantly.

"Are you surprised," asked another sister by the van, "to find a cake shop in a place like this?"

"Yes!" Mina said, clasping her forehead. "It…it boggles the mind! You're not even hunters and you managed to get through here without a care in the world!"

"Uh huh," the nearest sister said, not seeing her point.

_"It must be the RV,"_ Mina thought, walking to the counter on the side of the vehicle.

"Welcome to Naura Cake Shop," the sister at the counter said from atop the RV. "Which would you like to purchase?" She was pointing at a menu on Mina's level. The choices were _Strawberry, Peach,_ and _Blueberry._

"Strawberry, I guess," Mina shrugged. "Is it photon storage-able?"

"Mmm hmm," the counter woman replied, smiling just like the others. "You don't have to pay for this. We're happy to just make them and see the happy look on people's faces."

"Can I have another one?" Mina asked, realizing that she hadn't had anything like that since Pioneer 2 left Coral.

"Sorry, I can't give you more than one," the woman said, handing her a box of the cake, which was transferred into Mina's ISL. "We weren't really expecting anyone to buy anything down here. We were going to give these out on the ship in secret."

"I see," Mina said understandingly, making a Telepipe. "You all shouldn't stay here too long."

"We were just about to leave," one of the triplets said. "We hope to see you again!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"This was too much work for 1500 Meseta," Anne said, stepping out the cab with Miguel at the Hunter's Deck. "So what did you get?"

"Sweet Strawberry Wine," Miguel replied.

"I don't think that counts as candy," Anne said cynically, turning towards the HUcast.

"The 'Droids added a whole lotta' sugar to this," Miguel explained, "so it'll do." As they walked towards the Hunter's Guild, a flash appeared next to them, and in its place was Mina.

"Hi," Mina greeted, about to walk away.

"What've you been doing on Ragol this late?" Anne asked. She noticed that Mina's dress was dirty and damp. Her hair was frizzled and messy, even though it was still in a clip.

"It was a long quest," Mina said, stopping. "I don't think it was worth the 1500 Meseta reward."

"What'd ya have to do?" Miguel asked, getting suspicious.

"Find some stupid sweets," Mina said tiredly. Anne and Miguel glanced at each other, and immediately understood. They couldn't let Mina beat them to the client.

"You look kind of roughed up," Miguel said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"I'll finish our quest, Miguel," Anne said casually. Miguel materialized a box containing the bottle of wine from his ISL and gave it to her. She then began to walk away.

"What did you two retrieve?" Mina asked Anne.

"Just stuff," Anne said, still walking. "Stuff that a person couldn't usually get. Now, I've got to finish this before someone else does."

"That reminds me!" Mina remembered. "I have to hurry with this. Miguel, I'll tell you what happened in a minute." She tried to hurry away, but Miguel held onto her shoulder.

"What's the rush?" he asked innocently.

"Let me go," Mina said, trying to shake his grip.

"Move it, Anne!" he yelled, grabbing Mina with both arms. The HUcaseal began to run. Mina got the hint and easily broke free of his grasp. Then, he tried to grab her again; surprised that she broke his grip so easily.

"_Seoye-nage_!" Mina shouted, grabbing his wrist and chest plate, pulling him forward to off balance him, pivoting in the opposite direction, and tossing him over her back by his arm, all in one swift motion. Then, lifting her dress, she gave chase to Anne who had a good head start.

"I've got the stuff, Trekka!" Anne said, bursting into the Hunter's Guild. She immediately stopped, shocked at what she saw.

"You're not going to beat me to this one!" Mina said, running up next to her and immediately stopping in response to what was happening. Trekka, the client, was enjoying a lollipop out of a box of sweets given to her by the FOnewearl in white in front of her.

"Mmm," Trekka sounded. "Th…Thanks, Daniela! You can get your Meseta!"

"All right," Daniela said, heading for the counter. _"Thank you, Misha!"_ she thought.

"Whoa!" Anne shouted. "We brought stuff, too! Don't we get anything?"

"I'll gain weight if I eat too many sweets," Trekka said absentmindedly "Sweet food is really addictive."

"What's up?" Miguel asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Someone else beat us both to it!" Anne said angrily, stomping out of the room.

"All right!" Miguel cheered. "More alcohol for us! I got 5 of those bottles."

"Why is everything so easy for you?" Anne said. The disillusioned FOmarl went to the FOnewearl, Daniela, to talk.

"Where'd you get your stuff from?" she asked.

"My little sister, Misha," the Newman replied. "I don't know where she gets it from." Anne and Miguel glanced at each other and left.

"….Cake?" Mina offered meekly.

_Notes:_ And so, we leave this weak ending. What have we learned? Stronger monsters come out when dusk approaches. Sweets are illegal on the ship. Newks are jerks. And Androids really like alcohol.

_Next time on PSO: Sidestory:_ T-65 takes another quest, thinking he's ready to seriously take on the caves. It's a stroke of good and bad luck on his part. His client(s) don't seem to be especially trustworthy. It's almost Native Research all-over again. Speaking of which, Mina picks up on some information from other scientific experts. Suspense, intrigue, and just a hint of conspiracy are all included in "A Little Secret." Can you keep a secret…**Only Toonami!**


	19. A Little Secret

**Chapter 19: A Little Secret**

It was just another day at the Guild for T-65. He was running low on Meseta after buying a Fire Rifle and getting it upgraded soon after, so he really needed a job.

"Ya got anything with a good reward?" he asked the ever-sunny Guild girl.

"Of course," she smiled, scanning through a list of quests. "This one pays 4500 Meseta. It's called _Secret Delivery_." She brought it up on the screen for him to see.

_Client: Simons_

_Quest: I want this package to be dropped off on Ragol, underground, immediately._

_Reward: 4500 Meseta_

"I'll take it!" T-65 said enthusiastically. "Call 'em up!"

"Right away!" the Guild Girl replied, eternally enthusiastic. Less than five minutes later, a tall young brown-haired man appeared from the transporter in a green uniform of a short-sleeved shirt and white baggy pants. He looked a bit frantic, trying to calm himself. Two soldiers also appeared in the room. The one in blue stood near the man, while the one in red stood near the Guild entrance.

"So you're T-65," he tried to say calmly. "I'm Simons Olo. I work at the lab."

"Which one?" T-65 interrupted. Labs of all sizes were known to fill the Pioneer ships. Simons gave him a nervous look, glancing at the expressionless soldier.

"Um, that's not important," he said quickly. "What is important is this." He revealed a small, somewhat thin, silver box. "Please deliver this box to Ragol as soon as possible!" He put the object into T-65's hands.

"Whoa!" the RAcast exclaimed, not expecting the small box to be as heavy as it was.

"Sorry, it's heavy."

"I noticed," T-65 said wryly, clipping the box onto his belt. "What's in it?"

"It contains…um," the scientist stumbled, glancing at the soldier again. "I can't tell you. I think you've heard about the mutants underground."

"Yeah."

"This box will be used to study those animals!" Simons said quickly, remembering his lack of time. "Got it?"

"Got it."

"Anyway," Simons continued in the same rushed tone, "we have no time to waste! Finish this job as soon as you can!

"What should I do if Dr. Montague discovers what I've done!" he asked himself worriedly.

"Wha?" T-65 tried to ask, hearing the doctor's name. Since the man seemed so panicked, he decided to ask a more important question. "Where exactly am I supposed to put this thing?"

"Hand it to YN-0117 on floor B2!" Simons said, sounding more frightened, actually pushing T-65 out of the Guild. "Quickly! Just put it on YN-0117 directly. It's easy. You can contribute to the mission…" The soldiers glared at him, with one of them coughing. "Err! I mean, the study!"

"But," T-65 tried to ask.

"You're running out of time!" Simons yelled, getting the attention of nearly every hunter on the deck. "Please go! If you're late, YN-0117…Oh, my poor YN-0117!"

"Alright, alright!" T-65 grunted, moving to the Ragol transporter. His destination was Caves 2, or B2 as Simons had called it.

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Mina, in a plain lavender dress, was preparing for the visitors she was having that day. It was a day for them to discuss the status of Ragol and possible solutions to their predicament. As she expected, Alicia was the first to arrive, wearing a yellow dress with blue embroidery.

"_Hoi_," Mina greeted.

"Hello, Mina-chan," she said, smiling softly.

The next people to arrive were Nadja Dennen and Karen McDougal arrived. Nadja was in a red Dezoran-styled robe and bonnet. Karen was one of Mina's friends, who worked for the government as a computer programmer. She was dark-skinned, with medium length green hair. She was dressed casually in jean shorts and a black blouse under a small green jacket.

"Hi, Mina," Nadja said bashfully. "Um, sorry about leaving you like that…"

"It's okay," she said.

"Yeah, we know what a freak you are," Karen joked, patting Nadja's back. "So, Mina-girl, are you just gonna' stand there?" Mina replied with a hug.

"How's that?" she asked.

"That's what I'm talkin' about," Karen said, laughing. "I've got plenty of hush-hush, top secret stuff."

"Like government files?" Mina asked inquisitively.

"No!" Karen laughed. "I mean gossip! Did you know that almost half-of the people on Pioneer 2 are bisexual?"

"Kar-ren!" Mina moaned, aggravated.

"I'm just messing with you," she said. "I've got a few government secrets." The next person to arrive was Dr. Mome, a short, mustached man with uncombed, spiky hair in a white lab uniform and blue visor.

"Welcome," Mina greeted, shaking his hand.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Chikara," he said, taking off his visor. "I'll be representing the Council's lab staff."

"So, who's left?" Karen asked, sitting at the large table. The doorbell rang again.

"That's probably him now," Mina said, frowning a bit. When the door slid open, there was a raven-haired Newman, who was no taller than Mina. He wore yellow tinted glasses, beige slacks, a green vest over a burgundy tunic, and a clever smile on his face.

"Hello, Minako," he said enthusiastically, accentuating his grin.

"Hello, Jean," she said, with much less zeal. "Everyone, this is Dr. Montague."

"Jean Carlo Montague?!" Karen asked, taken aback.

"_The_ Dr. Montague?!" Mome inquired, just as astounded.

"The biotechnology genius?" Nadja asked.

"The very same," the Newman said confidently, walking past Mina.

_"That's right, Montague; lap it up,"_ Mina thought, not liking the fact that he was again stealing her spotlight. "Dr. Montague, where is Elenor? She's always with you?"

"She's doing lab work today," he said casually. "I figured that she'd be able to handle it while I attended this meeting. That should also keep the military preoccupied for a while ha ha ha. Now, let's get to down to business!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

T-65 had been gotten pretty far through Caves 1 without too much trouble. For some reason, Pioneer 2 had never thought to launch a transporter directly to Caves 2, so he had to take the long way. So far, the only monsters that had given him trouble were large numbers of mutant sharks and the occasional miniature dragon. He killed off the last red shark in the current "room," which was devoid of lava, but still had some jets of smoke and steam coming out of cracks in the floor. He wasn't bothered by the heat in the least. What did bother him, though, was the time limit he had noticed on the device that was given to him. At this point, he had about 25 minutes to do what he needed to do. After going through the next door, he found himself in a corridor, on a metal platform that was suspended above a river of lava. He also saw a familiar person.

_"Bernie?"_ T-65 asked himself, peering at the blue RAmar. He had his large weapon just like before. He had been looking at his ISL, when he noticed the RAcast. As T-65 walked over to him, Bernie noticed the box hanging from his belt. "I'm glad I finally found someone down here. Do you know anything about this?" T-65 said pointing to the device.

"That seems to be an energy pack," the RAmar said, looking at the item closely. "EM-05? Is that a product number?"

T-65 shrugged. "Do you know?"

"I have no idea," Bernie replied.

"Does YN-0117 ring a bell?" the Android asked quizzically.

"YN-0117?" Bernie repeated. "I've never heard of it before…I didn't know there was another hunter here working alone." The RAmar looked a bit disillusioned. He realized that T-65 was giving him a questioning look. "I realized that I'm just one of their tools."

"What are you doin' down here?" T-65 asked.

"I'm a professional," Bernie smiled lightheartedly, "so I can't say, of course."

"Of course," T-65 agreed with equal sarcasm.

"I know what you mean," Bernie chuckled. "A transmission from a girl was suddenly lost. I'm trying to track it." T-65 opted not to waste any more time, and pressed forward.

_"Could it be that same girl from before?"_ T-65 asked himself. _"Or maybe he's looking for the same person I am? YN-0117…that's definitely a serial number… Could it be an Android?"_ T-65 got a bad feeling from his last reflection. As he moved through the next door, he found himself in another large cavern surrounded by lava flows. As usual, another group of turquoise sharks mysteriously teleported into the room to fight him. All he had to do was shoot them from a distance and retreat to gain more distance.

"Man, these things are stupid," he commented, sniping one shark until it couldn't take anymore and fell. His new Fire Rifle was doing an excellent. Every few shots, he would fire a bullet of orange flaming photon. Although these fire bullets killed the sharks much faster, they tended to miss their mark more often. Each bullet rattled the rifle a bit and had more recoil, throwing off T-65's aim. Whereas about six regular shots to the body would kill a shark, it only took two or three fire bullets to do the same job. Soon, T-65 stood in the middle of the cavern, surrounded by grounded sharks.

Next, a giant mantis/locust mutant appeared, creeping down the small set of stairs. T-65 knew that kind of monster was only dangerous at close range…at least he guessed so. He had always killed the huge target before it could get close enough to attack him. He never wanted to be close to something with huge scythes for arms. This time was no different, so he opened fire on the mammoth insect. In response to the painful shots directed at it, the mutant reared up and charged at T-65 with alarming speed, spitting some stringy, sticky substance the whole way. T-65 held his ground to keep his aim, and fired off his burning flame shots. The creature collapsed just before it could reach the Android.

"That wasn't very smart," he taunted the dying creature. He backed away, as the creature's young burst out of its carcass and scurried away.

T-65 noticed that the door ahead of him was locked, so he made a detour to the unlocked door on the left to find a switch. He would have appreciated to know why doors were locked in the first place if monsters were all over. After passing through a small corridor on a bridge over lava, he walked into a pitch-black room. The only sources of illumination were the door on the other side of the room and an out of place recharge station, which was, according to his radar, against a wall and occupied by someone. When he got close enough, he could see that it was a white RAcast with a wedge-shaped head. If his memory served correctly, it was a Type: O military-class Android. After looking at his ISL and checking for other people in the area, he found that it was indeed a Type: O

"Wait mode," the soldier said suddenly. "…Input command."

"YN-0117," T-65 said.

"Transmission to YN-0117 is not available now," Type O said robotically. "Bio-structure analysis is not available now." T-65 thought for a moment and looked at the device on his belt.

"EM-05," he said. His counterpart hesitated for a moment.

"…Error," it finally said. "…Exclude mode."

"What?" T-65 said, not understanding. The door he came through before made a banging noise as it locked itself. He suddenly found that the Android had drawn an Autogun on him. T-65 ducked out of the way just as Type O began to fire. Kicking Type O away, T-65 drew his Fire Rifle and fired at the soldier. It blocked the first two shots with its wrist shield, but was taken down by a flame shot. T-65 ran back toward door, which was clearly lit red in the darkness. As he banged on the door, photon bullets bounced off of the door, coming from behind him.

"Comin' back for more, huh?" T-65 said, raising his rifle in search of his attacker. Unable to see the other RAcast in the dark, T-65 looked to his radar to see where it was. His ISL put up its shield as it was hit by another bullet before he could fully study the radar. _"He must be doin' the same thing…Well, I'll show you I ain't some dumb mass-produced model!"_ T-65 was jolted to the ground as more photon flew at him. He lied on the ground, aiming his rifle where it needed to be according to his radar. Photon bullets began to stream above him. The radar was only a "head's up view." It couldn't tell whether a person was standing or lying down. The military Android didn't realize that, but T-65 took advantage of it. Lining up his rifle according to the radar, he charged it for maximum power, and fired one regular shot, a charged shot, and a flame shot. Each one found their mark as he saw the soldier's cursor on the radar spin and stop suddenly. Then, he heard the clank of a falling RAcast. He waited to see, if any more movement would occur.

"Unlocking procedure for Door Lock A," it announced robotically, but somewhat strained. The door behind T-65 boomed again, as the light turned green and it unlocked. The door on the other side of the room also unlocked. T-65 entered the other door and found the switch he was looking for. When he returned to the room before the dark room, he found a single dragon there, wandering around aimlessly. When it saw him, it flew off the ground and flapped some distance away. Opting not to waste time on unnecessary battles, T-65 went through the door he had unlocked and found a transporter to Cave 2.

----------------------------------------------------------------

By now, Mina was giving her findings on Ragol. Since she specialized in mechanics and cybernetics, she didn't have much to say. Everyone was enjoying a beverage of some sort, whether it was cola, juice, or just water.

"That explosion was made of strange energy," she said, displaying a self-made still hologram of the explosion. "It didn't leave any scorches, smoke, indentations, or any sort of residue around Central Dome. There are no longer any signs of human, newman, or even android life from Pioneer 1 on the surface."

"Perhaps they went to an underground shelter," Mome suggested.

"They aren't in the caves," Mina said memorably. "There is still the possibility of another area that we haven't found yet."

"What about the perpetual rain?" Nadja inquired.

"At the rate it's going," Mina answered, "it'll probably remain perpetual. This winter, you can bet there'll be snow. The same energy that caused that explosion is causing the rain. All I know is that the energy seems to be powerful and negatively charged."

"Central Dome?" Nadja said.

"That's another mystery," Mina said, scratching her cheek thoughtfully. "From what I saw, the building has been melted from the inside, but without endangering its structural integrity. However, Central Dome has been effectively destroyed. The explosion and the inside of Central Dome don't seem to be directly related though…. Nadja, what did you find about the monument?"

"Monument?" Mome asked inquisitively.

"Uh huh!" Nadja said a little too giddily.

"Try not to get too excited," Karen added, smirking.

"Okay," Nadja said, composing herself. "Near the Central Dome, we found a monument that was over 10 feet tall. According to Rico Tyrell's messages, it was supposed to commemorate the migration of Pioneer 1. However, it's obviously too old to serve that purpose. I still can't get an accurate figure, but I estimate that it's between 800 and 2,000 years old. The language written on it is an outdated form of Esper."

"What is Esper?" Mome asked."

"Yes," Dr. Montague agreed. "I've never heard of such a language. Are you sure you don't mean Espanol?" Nearly everyone rolled their eyes at his comment.

"No, Esper," Nadja said, trying to maintain her calm. "You see, Mina and I are Algolians. Someone from Coral would probably never hear about Espers in their lifetime. On my home planet, Dezolis, there was once a band of people who studied the ways of magic. They called themselves Espers. Around AW 342, they made it their duty to protect Algo from destructive gods called Dark Forces."

"Dark Forces," Mome thought. "I recall hearing about those."

"Wasn't that just a child's fairytale?" Dr. Montague asked, not really believing this.

"Not in Dezolan society," Nadja said, somewhat offended as she revealed photos of the monolith. "Anyway, the monument uses words from an old prayer that many Dezolans are familiar with. I haven't deciphered all of it since the script is so old. It has the words _light, darkness, seal, pair, unlimited, rule._ The modern prayer that it seems so similar to sounds like this: _There can be no light without darkness nor darkness without light. Existence begat of nothing subsequently reincarnated from an infinite life force._"

"What does that mean?" Karen asked, interested.

"It's a story of origin," Nadja said gently, feeling at peace. "It describes the birth ties of opposing forces, dark and light. Opposites need each other to exist. Otherwise, they would become indefinable and negate their own being. The monument had extra information on it, but I can't straighten it out. The words that just don't fit in are _seal_ and _rule. _But our situation does seem similar to…." She stopped speaking suddenly.

"What?" Mina asked, intrigued. "Continue!"

"No…never mind," Nadja added. "It's not important."

"Well," Karen began, "The information I have isn't quite as good as that, but it does have some interesting implications. But, just one thing before I begin….I need everyone to swear that I never said any of this."

"Everything being said is completely confidential," Mome assured her.

"Especially you!" Karen pointed at him. "You work for the Council. I work for the government _and_ the military. If either one found out about this I'd be fired and… Pinky Swear!" Dr. Montague couldn't help but to burst with laughter. "I'm serious!"

"Ha, ha, ha!" he continued to laugh. "Very well, then." They each wrapped their pinky fingers around Karen's finger and promised not to tell.

"All right, then," Karen began. "Both the government and the military are up to something. The military is slowly considering an expedition onto Ragol. But knowing them, they'll probably send hunters first, as much as they'd hate to do that. They've started up military Android production, which is a big surprise. And apparently, the military has some idea of what was really happening on Pioneer 1. Speaking of conspiracies, the government is working on virtual simulators to train hunters for Ragol. That's probably because over a couple dozen people from Pioneer 2 have already died on Ragol. And I'm pretty sure the government has some backdoor secrets that it doesn't want anyone to know about. Pioneer 1 was doing something or some things that the general populous isn't supposed to know about. And I just _know_ that Pioneer 2 has a few high-ranking officials that are keeping a tight lip on things. That explosion might have been just the end-result of a top-secret experiment gone wrong."

"Wow," Mina said, astonished. "That was a lot. Dr. Mome, do you have anything?"

"Actually," he started, "I only had information about the new simulators. But she already mentioned that, so I suppose I'll just keep listening to what you all have to say."

"I see," Mina said, hiding irritation. "…I think I should show you all my full-motion, high definition simulation of the explosion." She stepped into her personal lab, got special black spectacles, and a small cylindrical object. "Alicia, could you help me with something?" she called, putting on a pair of glasses.

"What is it?" the tall woman asked, entering the lab.

"Put these on," Mina said, handing her a pair of glasses. "And give them to everyone except Mome." She then picked up a small, phallic device.

"What are you really doing?" Alicia asked, wary of Mina's sneakiness. "What's that you have in your hand? Is that… what I think it is?" she asked, arching her eyebrow. "You actually use a…"

"No, it's nothing like _that_, Mina interrupted, dispelling the thought. "Mome is trying to get free information without contributing. This is one of my inventions that I created just for myself… Not like that!"

"Whatever you say, Mina," Alicia said, giggling. They walked back to the living room with the supplies. "Everyone, you're all going to have to wear shades to protect your eyes from the simulation. It has a little too much high-definition." Mina giggled at the excuse.

"We have our own," Dr. Montague said, as he and Dr. Mome put on their eye protection.

"Dr. Montague," Mina began, winking at him, "your yellow tinted glasses aren't shaded enough. Use these dark ones instead."

"Ha, ha, very well," he complied, catching on. Everyone had on dark sunglasses except for Dr. Mome, who had his blue visor. Mina took her chance, raised the device in her hand in front of Dr. Mome, and pressed a button on it. It emitted a blinding flash that stunned him.

"What did you do?" Alicia asked worriedly, noticing that his neck had just gone limp.

"I erased his memory," Mina said, picking him up and dropping him outside of her home.

"A neuralizer," Dr. Montague clarified, picking up the object that caused the flash. "Ingenious. She is definitely a worthy rival, ha, ha, ha!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

T-65 liked the Caves 2. The scenery was much more pleasant, with its pools of water and trees. What he didn't like was the presence of more mutants and various traps set throughout the area. They only served to slow him down. At this point, he had just less than 13 minutes left. He was returning from a dead end that he had reached upon making a wrong turn.

_"Glad I'm an Android,"_ he thought, destroying what was probably the 20th trap. _"Who's putting these things here?"_ As soon as the next door opened, he saw a shark standing there, waiting for him. He instinctively jumped back and fired away. The creature didn't even get the chance to move before it was dead. The next chamber was one of the more beautiful types of rooms. It had several trees, plenty of natural light, fresh water, filled with fish, and grass and moss growing around the trees.

Many other sharks, lilies, and even the giant insect creature were there as well. Unfortunately for them, there were many traps. T-65 stood at the doorway, knowing they would do something stupid. As soon as one creature, a shark, took a step toward him, the traps all detonatedand maimed most of the mutants. The mantis creature had been blown in half and was being eaten inside out by its young. Then, two dragons flew out of the trees to finish the job. After killing all of the remaining mutants with beams and bites, they roared in triumph as strange streams of energy flowed out of the carcasses and into the miniature dragons. T-65, although impressed by their independence from the other animals, became worried when they suddenly got bigger and more muscular. They were at least twice their original size. He had learned earlier that they were invulnerable to fire. Again, luckily for him, the dragons turned on each other. One of the beasts shot seeking projectiles of energy while the other fired a large blast of energy. Both were hit, but the one hit by the single large beam was obviously crippled. The other dragon prepared to finish it off with another blast.

"Oh, no you don't!" T-65 yelled, firing on the stronger dragon from behind. It flinched and began to take flight. Just as it got a few feet into the air, T-65's gunfire overwhelmed it as it toppled to the ground comically. T-65 then made short work of the remaining dragon. T-65 noticed how many dead bodies there were in the room. The stench of burning flesh was in the air, with green and blue blood oozing all over the floor. The mantis's young were crawling everywhere. "That's a lotta dead bodies," T-65 mused. Then he noticed something he hadn't before that shocked him to his core. In the corner of the chamber, there was a sterling silver RAcaseal in a bubblegum pink outfit, lying on her face.

"Elenor?!" he shouted. She wasn't moving at all. "Elenor?!" he called again. _"Don't tell me you're YN-0117!"_ There was no response. He rushed over to her, but stopped in front of the next obstacle. The land she was on was separated from him by a relatively small gap of water. Unfortunately for him, the water was too deep for him to wade through without sinking into a crevice. He wasn't particularly confident about his swimming skills. The crevice also seemed just too far of a leap for him to make. The device beeped a warning suddenly. He only had 10 minutes left. This was why Simons had been so urgent. He looked around helplessly, searching for anyone that could assist him. He looked to his map. There was no one in his immediate vicinity. There was no time to go looking for another way to get to her. His "Chat" function on his ISL showed that there were Type: O and Type: W military Androids in Caves 2. Desperate for help, he sent a message to them through the "Chat" function.

"Need help!" he yelled into the device. "Type O and Type W, Assistance requested! Please respond!" He got no response, so he tried a different method. "YN-0117 is in danger! Your mission is endangered!" He finally got a response.

"Transmission to YN-0117 is not available now," both Androids replied.

"No shit!" T-65 yelled angrily.

"Bio-structure analysis is not available now," they added. T-65 was awfully angry by now.

"Fuck the analysis!" T-65 barked angrily. "Report here immediately!" He got no response, so he added, "EM-05."

"Error," they replied. "Exclusion…mode….on standby?" Apparently, he had confused the dim Androids.

"Fuck!" T-65 yelled, searching for a new solution. He looked up and saw the trees. _"Maybe I can shimmy up that tree and jump."_ Without thinking twice, he put away his rifle and began climbing the tree. He reached a branch far above the ground and got on top of it. It quickly snapped under his weight, sending him crashing to the ground far below. Though hurt, he slowly got back up and looked for a new solution. Now there were only 7 minutes left. It seemed that his only choice was a leap of faith.

"The things I'll do," T-65 said to himself, backing up for a running start. "Gotta save Elenor!" he said, running towards the gap. He put all of the power he had into his legs and leapt for all he was worth. He managed to get far enough to grab the edge of the island. Now he had to use all his strength just to save his own life. T-65 noticed just how heavy he really was. He strained and struggled to lift his own mass. The device beeped again, letting him know that he only had 5 minutes left.

_"No turning back now!"_ he told himself. His hands were only a foot away from Elenor. He used all the strength he had in him, but to no avail. Then he remembered someone that could help him.

"Kalki!" he called to his Mag. It was floating just above him. "Hey, buddy! I could use a hand here!" The Mag didn't seem to respond. "I know what it is. You're hungry." T-65 hung by his left arm while he gave the Mag a Trimate that he had been saving. It beeped as a light surrounded it and it began to change shape. It got bigger and began to look like a pair of shoulder pads rather than dinky headlights. It beeped again and T-65's arms were surrounded by a red aura. It had just powered up T-65 with Shifta.

"That's more like it!" he said, finding new strength from the Technique. "He raised himself out of the water and onto land. "Thanks…Surya," he said, looking at his ISL to see its new name. Not bothering to get up, he scrambled to Elenor, who was lying flat on her face. "Elenor…"

"Sleep mode," she said robotically. "Input command."

"EM-05!" he yelled.

"Clear sleep mode," she replied mechanically.

"YN-0117, wake up!" he said.

"Yes, master!" she said, startled into consciousness. "YN-0117 is awaiting your…your… I can't move…." She could just barely see the device hanging on his belt, but didn't know it was T-65. "Oh, excuse me, but I think that's mine. From Master Olo?"

"Yes," T-65 said, glad that she was functioning. _"If this is an energy pack, where do I put it?"_

"Perfect!" she said happily. "Would you mind inserting it into my back for me?"

"Sure thing," he said. He saw a barely visible slot between her shoulder blades and inserted it there.

"My name is Elenor," she said, slowly getting up with her back turned to him. "I'm an Android who's serving Dr. Montague. I ran out of energy and was stuck here."

"Hi," T-65 said bashfully. She turned to face him.

"Oh, it's you T-65!" she said, surprised. "How are you and your Mag?"

"We're fine now," he said, glancing at his faithful Mag. "In fact, it was this guy who helped me get to you. I didn't have any time to find another way around, so I tried to take a shortcut. First I climbed that tree," he said pointing. "But then the branch broke. Then, I tried jumping over here. I caught the edge but I couldn't get up here. Then, this guy decides to evolve and give me the strength I needed." She had been listening intently, despite his babbling. She seemed a bit flattered that he went through that kind of trouble for her.

"I'm glad it was you who came to help me again," she said, hiding a blush. They both stood there for a moment, not really knowing what to say. "Oh, I'm on duty! Well, I'm okay now. Thank you very much. Please tell Mr. Olo that I'll go back after I complete my mission," she said, summoning her Sniper.

"I will," he said, smiling. She smiled back before teleporting away in a circle of blue light. T-65 was completely taken by surprise. _"…She can teleport? She just gets better and better."_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"So, Alicia," Mina began. "The animal's DNA has been altered?"

"Yes," Alicia replied. "Since it's a genetic issue, you might not understand."

"Don't worry about that," Dr. Montague chuckled. "I'll understand, so your words won't be wasted." Mina found herself scowling at him.

"Okay," the blue-haired woman complied. "There are certain components that are common to all animal DNA, a certain setup that all organisms in the Animal Kingdom share. The Forest animals aren't following that pattern, though. The animals on Ragol have been altered somehow."

"How do you know they aren't just different?" Karen asked.

"Too much of a coincidence," Alicia shook her head. "The animals were fine until that explosion according to all the reports. Mina and I also found a baby animal that was unchanged, even though its parents were. According to my research, something has been changed in their brain that makes them fierce and aggressive. Even their outward appearance may have been altered."

"Are all of Ragol's animals like this?" Nadja asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "But apparently, all of the adults in the Forest have been affected. I don't know what to call this new factor…it's so different from anything I've ever seen. It's as if something infected all of them."

"Could the mutants in the caves be advanced transformations of this factor?" Dr. Montague asked. "I have noticed that the photons on Ragol are very different from our own."

"Photons aren't everything," Mina commented. "They're only particles of light."

"Particles of light filled with energy," the Newman corrected, waving his index finger. "Ha, ha, ha! Don't worry Minako! This genetic lingo is a bit much for you, isn't it?"

"No," Mina said defensively. "I just don't see what photons have to do with this situation."

"Photons affect everything around us," Dr. Montague explained. "They might very well have something to do with our situation. There's no need to get snippy about your ignorance of basic genetics." Karen whistled, imitating a dropped bomb and its following explosion.

"Alright, that's it!" Mina yelled. "This meeting's over! Get the hell out of my house!"

"Well!" the Newman said, offended. He got up and began to leave.

"Door, hit him on the way out," Mina ordered. As Montague exited, the door swung into him abruptly.

"Does anyone else think he's gay?" Karen chuckled.

_Notes:_ No, he's not gay. He's just flamboyant and probably metrosexual. But he still knows his stuff. Too bad he didn't get to say everything he needed to say. But at least Elenor didn't die, thanks to INCOM T-65…and his Mag. Now if only he had the guts to see her more often.

_On the next dramatic episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ It all started innocently enough with a basketball tournament. But a father realizes that he must help his daughter the only way he can… hire some help. Not just anyone. He needs someone on her level, someone who puts up with many of the things she does. He needs… Misha and Taya. This isn't gonna be as funny as it sounds. This girl is messed up… and it looks like she isn't the only one in Silent Lament. Practice makes perfect…**Only Toonami!**


	20. Silent Lament

**Chapter XX: Silent Lament**

Today was the day of the Junior Basketball Tournament finals, set between the two newman schools, Nei and Rika. There were the Nei Swords, in purple jerseys with white trims, and the Rika Claws, who were in black jerseys with rouge trims. The gym at the recreational center was filled with parents, friends, and fans. It was the final quarter, with less than 20 seconds left. The score was Swords 97, Claws 99. The Swords' portly coach had called a timeout.

"Alright, guys, c'mere," the coach said, bringing the team into a huddle. "Jared, good hustle. If you can get two shots, we can go into overtime, and kill 'em!"

"Coach, we're tired!" complained one of the other players, whose pointed ears were drooping.

"Deal with it!" the coach shot back, wiping his mustached face. "We don't have any more subs to take your place. You're the last players we have."

"Hey, what about us?" Misha piped up, outside the huddled circle. Her hair was in a spiky ponytail. She, along with a brunette, was the only other player who didn't look exhausted. "We've barely played 5 minutes in the whole game."

"Girls, you're not my best players," he explained. "I can't have any less than the best out on the court."

"You _know_ I'm good!" Misha yelled at him. "Everyone in school knows that Serenity is the best!" The brunette in question stayed silent, only observing the argument.

"Why couldn't you have just been cheerleaders like the other girls?" the coach asked.

"Yeah, Kitty," Jared agreed. "Even Taya is a cheerleader, supporting the team the way she should. Why don't you go with her and join the cheerleading squad?"

"Forget you, Jared!" Misha yelled at him. "This isn't fair! I play basketball! I don't sit on the sidelines!"

"If that's so true," Jared began, "why are you the only one complaining?" The coach seemed to silently agree.

"Coach Garetti," the brunette said quietly, standing up. Everyone was surprised to hear her finally say something. Physically, she was just another newman. She had lightly tanned skin, bland brown eyes, and short, stringy brown hair. It wasn't light or dark, just brown.

"What is it, Serenity?" the coach asked impatiently, noticing that his timeout was running out.

"Please, switch us into the game," she said, without the slightest hint of begging in her voice. "Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have you charged with gender-bias."

"What!" the coach exclaimed.

"She'll do it!" Misha warned.

"Yeah," Jared agreed. "She'll sue the pants off of anyone that messes with her."

"You would know," Misha said, leering at him.

"Fine!" the coach relented, with his time up. "Just get in there and don't screw up!"

"Looks like the Swords are making a couple of substitutions," said the announcer, as the players went onto the court. "Number 13, Misha Kuhra, and number 7, Serenity Doridder. Well, folks, I don't know what to make of this. Those numbers are on opposite ends of the luck meter, so let's hope their coach knows what he's doing. It's the Swords' ball."

"Go Swords!" the cheerleaders could be heard saying.

"If you get stuck, pass the ball to me," Serenity said, walking by Misha. The ball was passed into play to Jared, who immediately ran straight toward the other side of the court. Two opposing players quickly checked him. He passed the ball to Misha. She dribbled it further down the court, spinning past an opponent. She jumped to the hoop, making a lay-up.

"And number 13 scores with…13 seconds on the clock!" the surprised announcer exclaimed. "How about that! Now it's the Claws' ball."

Their cheerleaders were more noticeable. "Brick 'em brack 'em fire cracker sis boom ba! Go claws! Go claws! Rah, rah, rah!" They obviously had a better choreographer. Claw number 3 took the ball into play, being checked by Misha. Number three bounced the ball between Misha's legs, caught it on the other side, and ran ahead. The boy easily dodged many of the Swords until Jared stole the ball and dribbled the other way.

"Kitty!" he yelled, passing the ball ahead to Misha.

"Only 7 seconds on the clock!" the announcer warned. As soon as she caught the ball she headed to the hoop, but was obstructed by Claw number 20. Then, Claw number 3 began to impede her. She looked around for a pass only to see that her teammates were being well covered as well.

"Uh oh!" the announcer exclaimed. "Looks like number 13 is having some trouble out there."

"Over here!" Serenity called, straining her voice from near half-court. She was too far away for the Claws to worry about her. With only a few seconds left, Misha lobbed the ball to her. Serenity stood and took careful aim, ignoring her approaching opponents. She tossed the ball into the air just as the buzzer sounded, which went straight through the hoop and net.

"The Swords win!" the announcer screamed as the crowd cheered.

* * *

It was after the award ceremony, when the players were getting ready to leave. The only remnants of the crowd were family members. Misha's mother was there congratulating her daughter, as was Daniela. Their mother wore khakis and a black shirt under a buttoned blue vest. Daniela was in white clothing and a red vest.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Misha!" their mother squealed, hugging her.

"Why'd it take so long for you to go on the court?" Daniela asked questioningly.

"The coach was being a jerk!" Misha replied. "Just because we're girls!" Not too far away, Serenity was being praised by her father. He was a tall, but tired-looking redheaded young Newman in an adult-sized Swords jersey.

"You did great, honey!" he said, grabbing her bag. "After something like that, I think you deserve something special."

"I don't have time," she said flatly. "I have to practice my singing part for the play next week."

"But honey," he argued pleadingly, "you've been working non-stop. Don't think you need a break? I'm sure you'll be ready for the play just like you always are."

"I'm always ready because I always practice," she responded, taking her bag from him. "Practice makes perfect, and I'm not perfect. I'll be waiting for you at the car." With that said, she promptly left. Her father stood there not knowing how he would ever get through to her. He began to think that he would need some hired help for this problem. Then, he overheard Taya talking to Misha. She was in a purple and white cheerleading uniform with the insignia NS on the front.

"Hey, Misha. Did you ask your mom if you could go to the training center?"

"Training center?" Misha's mother asked, clueless.

"I forgot to ask you, Mommy," Misha said, embarrassed. "Is it okay if I go to the Hunter's Training Center so I can become a hunter?"

"So you're trying to be a hunter too?" Cloud said, walking over with Xero and Daniela. Both were in Swords jerseys.

"It's not that easy," Xero warned playfully. "You screw around and you're gonna' get hurt."

"Is that really such a good idea?" Misha's mother asked. "Two little girls becoming hunters."

"That's what the training's for," Misha explained.

"And then," Taya added happily, "we can all be one big hunter family. Bea told me that hunters don't always have to fight. We could just help people."

"Yeah, we're old enough to do that, aren't we?" Misha asked.

"I don't know," her mother said cautiously.

"Maybe you two could help me out," Mr. Doridder said, walking to the group. "I'm Namiel Doridder, Serenity's father. I need someone to help her."

"What could she need help with?" Misha asked. "She's just about perfect at everything."

"That's part of the problem," he said somberly. "She's so wrapped up in her work, that she never makes any time for herself. With your guardians' permission, could you come with me? Serenity's waiting at the car." The girls looked to their superiors with pleading eyes.

"Go ahead," Xero shrugged.

"Okay," Mrs. Kuhra smiled.

"Maybe, now we can get sometime to ourselves," Daniela said, leaning against Cloud. The young Newmans followed the man out of the building and towards the parking lot.

"So what does she do for fun?" Misha asked.

"I really don't know," he confessed. "She keeps to herself a lot and is always working. The only time she isn't busy is when she's sleeping."

"Why's she all work and no play?" Taya asked, tilting her head.

"I think it has something to do with what happened about a year ago," he thought. "You probably don't know this, but Serenity used to have a twin brother, Trenton. They were almost never apart, and put up such a fit whenever my wife and I had to separate them. As for my late wife, Gwen, she was a Force…and a pretty good one at that. To make a long story short, she made a few enemies among the Droids. One day, she was at home taking care of Trent, who wasn't feeling well. I was at work and Serenity was at school. She wasn't as studious as she is now.

"I kinda remember that," Misha said, thinking hard. "It's a little fuzzy, but I remember her being like the other kids. I can't remember much, though."

"It was around the same time you met me," Taya said, which Misha nodded to.

"Well, anyway," Namiel continued, "her mother and I were trying to get her to improve, more so her mother than myself. But on that fateful day…."

* * *

1 year ago…

It was another day at the Doridder residence. Mr. Doridder had already left for work. Mrs. Doridder had set up a quick breakfast, anticipating that Serenity was rushing through the house to prepare for school.

"Serenity!" Gwen called throughout the apartment in a plain purple shirt and jeans. "Don't be late for the bus!"

"Ready!" Serenity announced, popping into the kitchen with her book bag. She was a bright-eyed little girl with shimmering brown hair, looking like a miniature version of her mother in a purple dress.

"Now, remember what I told you," Gwen said, leaning down to hug her goodbye.

"Practice makes perfect!" Serenity said merrily.

"That's my girl," her mother said lovingly, rubbing her cheek.

"Where's Trent?" she asked, looking around.

"He's sick today," Gwen said. "Don't worry, he'll be here when you get back. It's just a little tummy ache. So do good on your test and we'll surprise him with a good grade on the fridge. He'll be so proud of you."

"I'll be just as smart as him!" Serenity said happily, skipping out the door with a nutrient bar.

* * *

Later that afternoon at Nei School, everyone had finished taking their test. Students were supposed to write their name, write the alphabet, and write out numbers 1-100. Serenity was hopeful that she did well. The teacher, Isis, had just finished grading the tests.

"All right, children," she said light-heartedly. "Most of you did pretty well on the test. I'm sorry if I've been hard to understand, but I just haven't been feeling like myself lately…Oh, it's 2:00! You know what that means."

"Snack time!" the class cheered.

"Taya, is it?" she said, looking at the small blue-haired Newman. "Would you like to help me pass out the milk?" Taya nodded shyly.

"Oooh, oooh, can I help too?" a little blonde Newman called out, bouncing in her seat.

"Yes, Misha," Isis almost laughed. "Can pass out the nutribars….I mean, _you_ can pass out the nutribars, while I pass out the test results." Serenity gobbled her bar and gulped the milk as soon as she received them. Isis passed by her, dropping the printout on the table. Serenity immediately picked up the paper and looked at it. She stared at what was on it.

"Miss Isis?" she said, looking at the teacher questioningly.

"I'm sorry, Serenity," Isis looked back at her, smiling weakly. "I know you're trying. And trying best…I mean, trying your best is all that matters. Try again next time, dear," she said, patting Serenity gently on the head. Serenity stared at the large, red, D- circled on her paper as tears began to run down her cheeks. There was a knock at the door, which Isis promptly opened.

"Ma'am," the man said, not entering. "Is there a Serenity Doridder in this class?"

"Yes," Isis replied. "What is it?"

The man cleared his throat and whispered something to her.

"Oh!" Isis said, understanding. "Serenity!"

The man speedily drove Serenity back to her home. There were police cruisers hovering all around the building. Serenity kept quiet, still devastated by her test grade.

"Go to your apartment," he said, opening the door for her. "Your father is up there waiting for you." Serenity trudged through the corridors of the building, filled with neighbors talking amongst themselves. Soon, she started to see more paramedics and police. She walked through the open doorway of her apartment, seeing more people. Several people pointed her toward the living room. As soon as she entered, she saw a gaping hole in the wall, letting the city lights shine through. But what she saw to her left horrified her the most. There stood her mother, pinned against a wall at the lower abdomen by a hovercar. Comforting her was her husband Namiel.

"Mommy!" the little girl cried as she scampered to her mother's side.

"Serenity," she said breathlessly, taking her daughter's hand with an exhausted smile. "How's my little girl?" Blood trickled out the side of her mouth.

"Somebody help her!" she screamed.

"We can't," an android officer replied. "The vehicle is the only thing holding her together. If we remove it, she'll die instantly."

"But she's hurt!" Serenity bawled as more tears escaped her eyes.

"Serenity," her father choked, holding back his own tears. "Mommy's…not going to be around much longer. There's nothing we can do about it."

"What happened?" Serenity asked, whimpering.

"Some bad men did this," he answered remorsefully.

"Droids," the android officer added. "An android crime syndicate."

"Lieutenant," said a human officer walking close the android. "Let them have a moment alone." The android nodded and left with the other officer.

"Where's Trent?" Serenity asked worriedly. "Is he okay?" There was a silence as Gwen's ears dropped.

"I'm sorry," she said, beginning to cry herself. "I…I…"

"It's okay, honey," Namiel comforted her, wiping the blood off her mouth with a cloth. "You tried."

"I didn't try hard enough!" she sobbed. "I should have tried harder! I should have… My little boy…" She was beginning to grow weaker, as could be told by her heavy eyelids.

"Don't worry," he said, stroking her ears. "You'll be with him, soon enough…"

"Mommy," Serenity said shamefully. "I have to tell you something about my test."

"How did you do?" she asked weakly.

"…I…I," the child hesitated.

"It's okay, dear," Gwen said, grasping her daughter in a limp hug with one arm. She could feel the muffled sobs of Serenity, who had buried herself into Gwen. "You don't have to be ashamed."

"I'm sorry," the little girl sobbed. "I practiced really hard, but I couldn't do it."

"If at first you don't succeed," her mother began, breathing heavier, "try, try again. You still have time… You've got plenty of life left… Just remember…everything I've told you… I'll always love you… Namiel… Take care of her."

* * *

"That's really sad," Taya said, sniffling at the story. The three were standing just beyond the parking lot, watching Serenity practice her singing.

"Did they ever find the ones that did it?" Misha asked somberly.

"A while later, yeah," Namiel said, smirking tiredly. "The Android Rights Association turned over the ones that planned it. Apparently, the less stable chunk of its members, who were also with the Droids, decided to attack her. They decided to go after Trenton as well, once they knew he was there at the same time. Gwen actually managed to take down quite a few of them… at least until someone decided to crash a car into the apartment. Needless to say, it really hurt the Android Rights movement, so the ARA immediately got involved with the investigation. That single event is why all android citizens have to outwardly appear to be mechanical, among other restrictions."

"How did she move on after something like that?" Taya asked, listening to Serenity's smooth hymn.

"I don't think she ever did get over it," Namiel said, shaking his head. "She got really quiet and held a grudge against all Androids for a while."

"I remember that," Misha said thoughtfully. "She really gave Isis the cold shoulder."

"That's also when she started her overachieving habits," Namiel continued. "Serenity started finding the faults in everyone except, ironically, Androids. That's when she started bringing up lawsuits against anyone that impeded her, even if the obstruction was trivial… We managed to make quite a profit off of that bad little habit… Unfortunately, she stopped laughing, smiling, playing, or showing any kind of emotion. She wouldn't do anything that wasn't, as she put it, 'productive'. That's where you two come in," he said, looking at the two girls. "I've taken her to psychologists and everything, but they just tell me what's wrong with her, not how to help her. So, I need someone that knows her, someone that's her same age and does the same things she has to do."

"What do you want us to do?" Misha asked quizzically.

"Show her how to have fun again," Namiel answered. "The last time she smiled, was when Gwen and Trenton were still here. Now it's as if she has no other purpose in life than to be the very meaning of the 'practice makes perfect' saying. Just get her to back off of the workload and have fun. Even if she only makes the tiniest, briefest smile, it'll all be worth it."

"Okay," Misha said uneasily. "Um… How much money are we talkin' here?"

"Misha!" Taya exclaimed in a harsh whisper, startling her friend. "What's wrong with you? Didn't you just hear what happened to them? We have to help because it's the right thing to do! Are you such a heartless idiot that you can't you see that?" Misha was shaken by Taya's aggressive tone. The last time Taya had been acting like this was at the Phantasy Monster Tournament. But never before had Taya talked to Misha like that.

"It's okay," Namiel said modestly to Taya, noticing the hurt look on Misha's face and her sinking ears. "If you two plan to become hunters, you'll have to pick your quests wisely. As Gwen once said, 'If the money isn't in it, then why should I get in it?' Well, you won't have to worry about the reward. I'll pay each of you 50,000 M if you do this. Just visit her everyday. Annoy her if you have to."

"You don't have to…" Taya began. Serenity finally stopped singing and glanced around herself, not noticing the trio.

"I insist on the reward," Namiel said. "You can't become successful hunters if you don't have any money. So, will you help me?"

"Okay," Taya answered for both of them.

* * *

"So, Serenity," Namiel said, as he drove them to the condo, "I want you to make friends with Taya and Misha. Just get to know them." Serenity rode in the passenger seat, while the other girls sat in back.

"They'll interfere with my studies," Serenity warned. "They aren't even on the Honor Roll. Take them home."

"They might be able to help you with your studies," Namiel said optimistically. "You could always use a new critic for your singing." Serenity didn't respond. In the back of the vehicle, there was an awkward silence between Taya and Misha. They glanced at one another nervously, quickly turning the other way.

* * *

"So what do you want to do first?" Taya asked, now that they had gotten into Serenity's blue room. It was eerily plain and organized. Her bed had no designs on the cover. The only things on her dresser were a brush, a comb, and a mirror. Her computer desk was clear of any objects, except the computer itself. The only thing she had that was even remotely decorative was a photograph of her family before the incident one year ago.

"I need to practice my singing," she answered.

"How about _Mary Had a Little Lamb_?" Taya suggested, since Misha was silent.

Serenity stared at Taya as if she was an idiot and answered, "…No."

"Well, sing a song you like," Taya said optimistically.

"I don't like any particular song," Serenity said.

"What do you mean you don't like any songs!" Taya yelled, covering her mouth immediately after she noticed her own tone. "Sorry."

"Are you okay?" Misha asked, noticing that Taya had been acting out of character lately.

"I'm fine," Taya said quickly.

"You sure?" Misha said worriedly. Taya nodded.

"Um, you don't need to practice anyway," Taya said, moving past the event. "We heard you earlier and it was really good."

"Really?" Serenity asked, raising her eyebrows. Misha nodded. "Well…" she hesitated. "Maybe I should practice anyway."

"Do you want to be a singer?" Taya asked.

"I…don't think so," Serenity said unsurely.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Taya asked.

"I…I don't know," Serenity said with uncertainty.

"Then…why do you do all of this stuff?" Misha asked meekly. There was a look of confusion on Serenity's face.

"…Practice makes perfect," she said, with her ears lowering.

"I don't think your singing can get much better," Taya said. "It's practically perfect already… Do you have anything else to do?"

"Studying," she said, bringing something up on her computer.

"Studying?" Taya asked, perplexed. "You can do that later…like on Sunday. No one studies on Friday."

"There's nothing else I can do besides that right now," Serenity said, reading the screen.

"Why don't we just have fun?" Taya suggested. Serenity paid her no mind. "You know… like hanging out at the mall, the arcade, the Rec. center….or we could play Phantasy Monsters." The studious Newman continued to ignore her. Taya was beginning to get irritated.

_"Don't blow it,"_ she said to herself, with closed eyes. _"Calm down. We're here to help her, so there's no turning back now… That little ingrate…No, no, we need to be patient,"_ she argued with herself._ "Don't you remember what happened to her? She needs our help… Why do you always have to act like such a saint? Not everyone deserves to be treated so well and you know it. That's why you've been slipping up. Even your friend is noticing… It's not my fault!"_ she screamed at the wicked thought._ "You keep telling me to do these bad things! And now Misha's feelings are hurt because of you! And she probably thinks I'm a bad person… Because you implied that she's a bad person? I don't see the problem… Why would you want to hurt her like that…? Because she deserves it. You're losing your grip, Taya. She's looking at you funny right now. You can't hold me back forever. It'll be my turn soon enough."_ Misha had been staring at her, wondering what Taya had been thinking about for so long.

"Taya?" she asked timidly.

"Huh, what?" Taya said, snapping out of her trance. "Misha?"

"I…I just…" she stuttered and then paused. She sighed and said, "I just wanted to apologize for earlier. What I did wasn't right. So, can you forgive me?"

"I should apologize to," Taya said humbly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Friends?" Misha asked, offering a handshake.

"Friends," Taya said, choosing to hug her instead.

"Hmph," Serenity grunted, still studying.

_"That's right, Taya,"_ the thoughts returned to the sky-blue-haired girl mockingly. _"Go ahead and enjoy your precious little hug. Enjoy _**_all_**_ your precious moments while you still can."_ Taya hugged tighter in response to the malevolence. She had been scared of this before. But now, there seemed to be some truth to the mental intrusions.

_Notes:_ Told ya she had a dark side. But what exactly are its intentions? Is it going to possess her and plot to destroy everything? Does it have anything to do with the happenings on Ragol? How much longer will Taya be able to stay in control? Will she still be able to help Serenity? Stayed tuned to find out, but not…

_On the next episode of Phantasy Star Online: Sidestory:_ It's a leisurely day for our heroes… Well, most of them. After some awkwardness, Chronos experiences a power failure. That's unacceptable in the modern world. Who will help him? Miguel and Anne are out elsewhere. It's one giant foreshadowing in "Implications." Predict this! **Only Toonami!**


	21. Implications

**Chapter 21: Implications**

It was a "sunny day" inside the recreational center's park room. The room was designed to simulate the feeling of being inside a park. It had benches, gravel paths, an artificial duck pond, grass, trees, and even artificial weather. At present it was a breezy and sunny day with high humidity. That was a sign to the park-goers that it would rain later. Chronos was there with his new friend and fellow Dezoran, Megumi. Chronos was dressed conservatively in cerulean robes, hatless, but still wearing black fingerless gloves. Megumi wore a burgundy dress, which had sleeves disconnected at the shoulders so that she wouldn't feel smothered.

"Gosh, it's hot," Chronos sighed, wiping sweat off his brow as they sat at a bench. "Eighty degrees may be nothing to everyone else, but I'm just not made for that kind of heat."

"You should come more prepared," Megumi said, revealing a fan. "Standard Dezolan clothing simply won't do in this climate. Try wearing less material and be sure that it is thin."

"I can't say that I'm quite as daring as you," Chronos smiled at her.

"Afraid to show a little skin?" Megumi teased with a small smirk, pointing to her almost bare shoulders.

"I try not to be as old fashioned as southern Dezolans," he said, "but it seems that you've outdone me. The last time I didn't wear a robe, I felt exposed wearing a sleeveless shirt."

"Coralians don't pay it much mind," Megumi said, fanning a little harder. "The body is nothing special to them, so it's not uncommon to see them half-nude. It seems as if two thirds of the women on this ship want to bare everything but their teats and flowers. And the men want nothing more than to attract attention with their tights and musculature. You, Chronos, are the minority, covering up yourself like that. That's one of the things I like about you."

"Um, thanks," Chronos said, befuddled. "It's nice to see a smile on your face, Megumi. Before that, I didn't know what to make of you. Why do beautiful people deny their own pleasant appearance?" Her eyes widened and she began to fan quicker as she blushed more and more. "You've even been hiding your distinctive eyes."

"You're beautiful, too," she said, futilely trying to hide her reddened face behind the fan.

"I've been told that many times," he said, with some embarrassment.

"I don't see what's wrong," she said, still hiding behind her fan.

"Everyone thinks I look like a woman," he laughed at himself. "I must admit that I do have some semblance to a female. I can't tell you how many times I've been mistakenly called a FOmarl."

"That's not such a bad thing," she said, smiling behind the fan. "Sure, you have a prim body, delicate manicured fingers, pretty emerald eyes, long scarlet bangs hanging over your soft beautiful face, devoid of facial hair," she continued, as he became increasingly uncomfortable.

"Megumi?" he said uncomfortably.

"My apologies," she paused. "I'm simply saying that your feminine looks are nothing to be ashamed of. It's rather uncommon for FOmars, or even Dezolan men in general, to bleed testosterone as so many others do. In fact, I prefer feminine looks to masculine looks. They are much more tasteful to me."

"I appreciate your reassurance," he said, humbled by her forwardness.

"You are very welcome," she said, standing up. "I shall see you some other time."

Chronos had walked back to his apartment by noon. When he entered, the lights did not turn on. Since there were no windows, it was completely dark inside. It didn't help when the door closed behind him.

"Sweet Great Light!" he swore when his shin hit something, as he walked through the darkness. "What's going on in here?" He made his own light with a small flame coming from his finger. He found a switch for the lights, but it didn't do anything. When he tried to turn on the HV, it did not activate either.

"Better call maintenance," he said to himself, as he set the flame to a candle, while he got his videophone. He dialed the number, and the word "unavailable" flashed on the screen.

"We're sorry," a polite female voice began. "Our maintenance staff are unavailable at this time. They are undergoing repairs, upkeep, and/or therapy for the next three days. If you have a dire emergency that must be tended to at once, please dial any number now." Chronos pressed a button.

"What is it?" said an unshaven man in a brown suit.

"The electricity is out in apartment…" Chronos began.

"That's no emergency, mack," the man interrupted. "Call me back when your heater explodes or somethin' like that. Your electricity'll be back when the Androids get back." He disconnected the line after that statement. The flame began to flicker until Chronos put a little more concentration into it. The startling ring of his phone, however, made him lose concentration, putting the flame out completely.

"Hello?" he activated the phone. It was Mina, looking down at the screen.

"_Konnichiwa,_ Chronos," she said, smiling. "…"Why is it so dark over there?"

"There's something wrong with the electricity," he answered irritably. "And the maintenance Androids are the ones being maintained right now, so it's not going to be fixed anytime today."

"You seem to be having a nice day," she said, giggling. "Do you want me to fix your electricity?"

"You can do that?" he asked hopefully. "That would be great!"

"I'll be right over!" she winked.

Miguel and T-65 were at the mall, waiting for Anne and Galactica to finish their shopping. They had mostly been talking about their favorite alcoholic beverages, but T-65 started a new tangent.

"So, how long have you known her?" T-65 asked as they sat on a bench.

"Ever since I can remember," Miguel said matter-of-factly. "That's about eight years."

"This is pretty much the first time I've ever seen you two apart," T-65 said.

"Yeah, we hang out a lot," Miguel agreed. "You guys are the first real friends she's had besides me. It's nice to see her with that smirk."

"How'd you guys first meet?" the RAcast asked. "A hunter quest?"

"I'm not completely sure," Miguel said thoughtfully. "She found me inside some crime syndicate's warehouse on Motavia. Apparently, someone stole me before I was activated. Neither of us knows where I'm really from. I convinced her to take me with her, and here we are."

"Convinced her?" T-65 asked suspiciously.

"He nearly begged me to take him with me," Anne chuckled inside the dressing room. Galactica was inside a dressing room adjacent to hers.

"What made you take him?" Galactica asked, slinging her skirt across the door.

"She'd been through some rough experiences," Miguel explained to T-65. "And I was just the guy to give her the laughs she needed. And here I find that most Androids don't have a great sense of humor, heh heh!"

"So she just took you with her?" the RAcast asked skeptically.

"No way!" Anne said, still changing. "I agreed to get him out of there and that was it. After that, he followed me everywhere I went. And…well, he just grew on me."

"If you just found him like that," Galactica began, "why does he have a higher level than you?"

"I had to get her respect somehow," Miguel chuckled. "So, I just started training myself. I even started sharing some of her problems, pretty much protecting her whenever she needed it."

"You must really care about her," T-65 noted.

"_Si, si,_" Anne agreed. "He already knows that I can take care of myself. But I wouldn't be the Anne you know now without him. Sometimes…I wonder… What if…"

"…we were human?" Miguel asked thoughtfully. "Hell, I'd probably fall in love with her and propose on the spot… Yeah, I know. Kinda silly."

"What?" Galactica asked, not seeing the problem. "Androids falling in love? I don't think it's impossible. Mother said that all Androids are capable of human emotion. She said that the only problem is that none of them know how to show or recognize it… She'd probably be able to help both of you," she said, stepping out of the room. She was in a grey baby tee, jean shorts, and had a small white ribbon in her hair instead of the usual headgear.

"She already mentioned something like that," Anne said, stepping out of the room. "I don't know…" She was in a bright purple and red Flamenco-like dress that almost touched the floor. She also had a pink bow on her ponytail. "… What are you staring at?"

"I never would have imagined you in clothing like that," Galactica said, astonished. "I had to remove my clothing to change."

"So did I," Anne said, pointing at her boots, gloves, and various parts of her bodysuit left inside the room as she looked in the mirror. "This is a _traje de flamenco_. I haven't worn one of these in years," she said, twirling around once and feeling the material. "You have an interesting look, too."

"Thank you," the RAcaseal said, impressed with herself.

"We'd better get back to the guys," Anne said, still hugging the material. "They're probably bored stiff."

"Welcome," Chronos said, opening the door.

"_Hoi_," Mina greeted, entering Chronos's dark home with a small, yellow supply box. She was in carpenter's overalls and a pink short-sleeved shirt. "Wow, it's pitch black in here!"

"Thank you for coming," Chronos said gratefully. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a handyman."

"Just tell me where the fuse box is," Mina said enthusiastically.

"I…can't say," Chronos said. The door closed and left them in complete darkness until he lit another flame. "I really should've invested in a flashlight at some point."

"That's okay," Mina said, turning on a flashlight. "I can trace the fuse box from any device." She walked to the HV and took out another device. She pressed it against the wall, next to the holovision. She began to follow an unseen path, leading across the wall, past a lamp, and up the wall. Then she stopped and turned around.

"Is there a problem?" Chronos asked helpfully.

"It's in the ceiling," she said, puzzled, pointing the light at a spot surrounded by ceiling lights. "Do you have a stool?"

"No, why?" he said without thinking.

"I can't reach," she stated simply, showing her limited reach. "I'm not even up to your shoulder, remember?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Chronos apologized quickly. "Use me to get a boost," he said, getting on his hands and knees. She climbed onto his back, but couldn't get the nerve to stand up.

"I can't," she said nervously, stepping down.

"What's the matter?" he asked, standing up. "You aren't heavy enough to be a burden. It's okay; I can bear it."

"It's not that," she said, rubbing her shoulder shyly. "I…um…have a problem with heights," she said meekly.

"Oh," Chronos said, understanding. "Well, that's…nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe you just need more stability than you would have teetering on my back."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, tilting her head. "Whoa!" she gasped as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her legs and hefted her up toward the ceiling.

"Is that high enough?" he joked.

"I don't know if I can do this," she worried, looking at the floor from her new height. It wasn't far at all, but to her, it seemed like she was a mile high.

"Don't worry," Chronos said reassuringly. "Just focus on the task at hand and don't look down. I've got you… Just try to be quick about it. I'm FOmar, not a HUcast."

"Okay," Mina said nervously, opening the panel. She tinkered with some of the fuses for only a second. Then, all of the electronics began to turn on.

"That was fast," Chronos said, surprised. He spoke too soon as all the light bulbs blew out and the electronics switched off.

"I can fix that," Mina reassured him. Chronos couldn't see that she was red with embarrassment.

"You seem to be quite interested in this Chronos fellow," Loris said to her sister. They were at Xi'san's home, drinking tea. Loris wore loose black silk pants and a buttoned white blouse, with a black ribbon on her collar.

"He's a modest, upstanding young man," Xi'san explained.

"I suppose that would be a change from your previous significant others," Loris replied, opening her red eyes. "Have you made any advances?"

"Not really," Xi'san said, sipping her tea and then looking down at it. "He's awfully bashful. I'm not sure how I should approach him with something like that… Why? Do you have any advice?"

"Do not seek courting tips from me, elder sister," she said, humored. "I'm the one who should be asking you for that sort of thing. You would have better luck asking Zin… He does know how to charm a man."

"I'm sure Chronos is heterosexual," Xi'san chuckled. Her black android maid walked by to refill their cups.

"Where is Nina?" Loris asked, noticing the drop in quality of tea. "This is decent, but it certainly isn't her doing."

"Yes, Fina," Xi'san said, looking at the black Android. "Where is your counterpart?"

"Um," Fina hesitated. "She's…"

"Here!" the blond Android said, rushing through the door, grabbing an apron, and running into the kitchen. The three looked towards the kitchen as they heard her shuffling through things.

"Where were you?" Xi'san questioned.

"I was out," the Android in synthetic skin said, as she stepped out of the kitchen with fresh tea. "Try this." She gave them new cups of tea.

"That's better," Loris said, sipping. Then she remembered Fina. "I meant no offense on your part, Fina. But Nina has superior culinary skills."

"Perhaps I should be of some other service," Fina said, stepping toward the piano.

"That's okay; I've got it," Nina said, quickly sitting at the piano. She instantly began playing _The Flight of the_ _Bumble Bee._ Fina glared at her and walked away groaning.

"Nina has been doing this rather often, lately," Xi'san said to her sister. "Are yours acting strangely?"

"Yes, actually," Loris said, sipping tea. "The new girl, Rupika, has been making a few outbursts. They're so sporadic, it's hard to tell whether something is bothering her or she's just touched in the head." A phone began to ring. An aggravated Fina returned with the phone.

"A call for you," she said, holding it limply in front of Loris. Loris took the phone and activated its screen. There was the image of another synthetically skinned Android with blue hair, in a purple dress.

"Miss Zano?" she asked.

"Yes, Tameenda," Loris answered, familiar with her voice.

"Mr. Ace Duo is ready to meet you," she said cheerfully.

"Stall him until I arrive," Loris advised. "I don't want to have to interrupt anything. Tell the others to refuse him any service until I get there."

"That won't be easy," Tameenda giggled, hanging up.

"Our best customer," Loris explained, knowing that her sister was looking at her with a question. "We're going to negotiate an advertising contract. His connections will make Regalia known to nearly every single adult on Pioneer 2. And I'm certain Zin will appreciate the run-off advertisement for his spa." She got up with her cane and began to make her way to the door.

"Fina," Xi'san looked to the black Android. "Escort her to…"

"That won't be necessary," Loris said, confidently feeling her way to the door. "Slyphe is waiting for me."

"Are we the only people who know that you're blind?" Xi'san asked, smiling.

"Ha ha, for the most part," Loris laughed as she exited.

"So what's with the dress again?" Miguel asked Anne as the two walked down the hall to their home.

"It's one of our little traditions," Anne said, holding a bag. "We like to gather once a year and dress up." They reached their door, but stopped when they heard voices inside. "Hey, listen."

"Sounds like one of them is Chronos," Miguel said, listening through the door.

"And the other is…Mina," Anne said. "What are they talking about?" They eavesdropped on Chronos and Mina's conversation.

"Mina," they heard Chronos pant. "I'm starting to…tire out. I can't keep this up forever."

"Hold on," Mina paused. "Did you even put it in yet?"

"Yes," Chronos panted.

"It's so small," Mina said, showing some surprise. "I can barely feel it." Anne and Miguel glanced at one another and listened closer.

"I can't do anything about that now," Chronos said. "You're really wearing me out."

"Okay, you take over," Mina relented. There was a pause. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"I have… a pretty good idea," Chronos said, sounding like he was straining to do something. "It's just that…it's so tight."

"It's not as if this is the first time you've done this," Mina giggled. "Just screw it in like you would any other time… Here, let me help you." The two Androids listening in were taken aback. "Just…put your fingers in there…" she strained.

"How's this?" Chronos strained even more.

"Okay, just like that," they heard Mina say in a more satisfied voice. "You're better at this than you thought. Now, just do it harder…Harder!"

"I can't…hold out…much longer," Chronos warned

"Almost…there!" Mina strained. "That's it! Just…a little bit…more!"

"Minaaa," Chronos gave a final warning. "Ergh!"

"Aaaah!" Mina screamed.

"Wow," Miguel said, not knowing what else to say.

"Let's check it out," Anne said casually, about to open the door.

"Whoa, wait a sec!" Miguel said, stopping her. "I don't think we should just walk in on them. You've seen the nature shows before. 'During mating season, pairs of animals often become extremely territorial. Interlopers are almost always met with a viciousness never seen before in…'"

"It's not Spring, Mig," Anne said, amused. "And they're not Newmans. I just want to see the look on their faces when we catch them in the act."

"It's not like a porno," Miguel said, waving his finger. "You can't just walk in and laugh at 'em… Let's come back later and rub it in Chronos's face."

"So, what now?" Anne said, since nothing could be heard inside.

"I'll treat you to something special," Miguel said warmly. "A deluxe treatment at the Jutto Spa."

"They serve Androids?" Anne asked with intrigue.

"Well it is run by a Dezoran," Miguel nodded.

"Sometimes, you can be a great guy." She quickly rushed out, with Miguel in tow.

"Mina, are you okay?" Chronos worriedly asked the woman on top of him. She had been clinging to him, ever since his arms gave out and he dropped her. They had managed to get the electricity back on and fix the damaged lights.

"I…I think I'm okay," she said tensely, still gripping his robes as she slowly sat up.

"I'm so sorry for dropping you like that," he apologized, feeling her face for bruises.

"It's okay," she said, reddening. "You broke my fall."

"Wait!" he said, instantly sitting up and rubbing her forehead. "What's this?"

"Oh, that's my crest," she said, feeling the spot. "I've had that ever since I was a child."

"I've never noticed that before," Chronos asked suspiciously. The crest looked like a jagged, turquoise, upside-down crescent moon with a blue dagger-like marking going through the middle.

"It's usually hidden under my bangs," Mina smiled bashfully. "…You've…never been close enough to see it."

"Oh…oh!" Chronos said, removing his hand out of respect. Mina took hold of it before he could pull it away, though.

"Listen…Chronos," she said nervously, cupping his hand. "Would you be interested in…I don't know, going to a movie, or someplace to eat…just you and me?"

"You mean…like a date?" he asked, blushing.

"I'll understand if you don't want to," she said, turning her eyes away nervously. It doesn't have to be a serious relationship or anything… We can just keep it simple and casual."

Chronos noticed the look on her face and thought to himself. He shrugged and said, "I would be glad to go on a date with you."

"Really?" Mina said, eyes sparkling. "Wait, do they have dating on Dezoris?"

"Ha ha, of course!" he laughed, tousling her hair. "We have dating, cinema, and fast food restaurants just like everyone else. But I don't remember Motavians having crests in their childhood."

"My mother was born on Dezoris and part Coralian," Mina explained, "but she met my father on Motavia during a student exchange program."

"Ah, so you're one-fourth Dezoran," Chronos smiled, helping her up. "Perhaps we should discuss this further over a cup of tea."

"Oh, yes!" Mina said excitedly, as they walked to another room.

Taya was lying on her bed dejectedly, curled up in a fetal position as she stared at the phone. All the while she was being struck by thoughts from within.

_"No Misha today_," the presence taunted. _"We're taking a break from her. Oh, what's that? You need a new friend, don't you? How about Van? The little boy with the dark blue hair. Don't you think he would be a much better friend?"_

"Misha," Taya said to herself, still staring at the phone.

_"No, Van!"_ the presence growled. _"You don't need Misha. You need Van. You don't even remember what you told him, do you? He's your boyfriend now, Taya."_

"No," Taya denied fearfully.

_"That's right,"_ the presence continued. _"You probably didn't even notice. As soon as he asked, I slipped in a reply for you. He's so much nicer than that girl. You don't like him that way? Too bad! When I've taken over, you won't have to worry about anything."_

_"_Misha," Taya repeated, tears running down her face

_"No," _the presence said sternly. _"…On second thought, go ahead. Get up right now and call her… Can't do it? Is it because you think I'll say something… Believe me, I would…No, that's not your problem is it? Ha ha ha! You can't even move, can you? Just lying there, struggling to overpower me. That's right Taya… I told you it wouldn't be long. Now, all we need is a Hunter's License and Van. Don't worry; you're not the only one who's like this. I've sensed others who are in the very same predicament."_

"But for now," Taya spoke aloud, grinning as she hopped off the bed. "Let's just call Van. I'm sure he'll cheer you up. I'll prove that he's much better than that girl."

A young girl with long white silky hair, snapped open her blue eyes after hearing the foreign thoughts. They had awakened her from her afternoon nap. This was only one of several intrusive thoughts she had heard. She had learned to block many of the ambient thoughts that people had, but certain ones had still been making their way to her. As she regained her senses, she found herself sitting in the enclosed arms of her bluish-silver android nursemaid, who had been resting with her on a couch. The barefooted girl was in a plain black housedress. Her nursemaid, although skinless, appeared almost nude since her clothing was had the same color as herself. She looked like any other RAcaseal. The Android's eyes lit up as she felt the girl shift in her embrace. She looked down at the little girl, puzzled as to what had startled her.

"I'm hearing them again," she said so inaudibly, that only the Android would be able to hear her. The near-expressionless Android tilted her head. "Some of them are being…mean." Her nursemaid gently stroked the girl's face. "Tiem…I think I should do something." The Android adjusted her embrace around the girl and dimmed her eyes, lying back. "Okay **yawn** I won't worry you or myself about it," she said drowsily, drifting back to sleep.

_Notes:_ Not much really happened here, just build-up for the most part. I think it's time we got back to some action. So here's a recap: Taya's screwed up, some girl can hear her thoughts, Chronos and Mina plan to date, and Miguel and Anne told some of their history.

_On the next episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ It's another busy day at the Hunters Guild. It's kind of a two-parter in "Letters, Brides, and Graves…Oh My!" It's all about the quests baby…Only Toonami!


	22. Letters, Brides, and Graves, Oh My!

**Chapter 22: Letters, Brides, and Graves…Oh My!**

The Hunter's Guild was full of hunters and clients. There was plenty of work to do. It was so busy that vendors were just outside selling drinks and snacks. Mina, Galactica, Anne, and Miguel leaned against a wall, waiting for their clients to arrive.

"So, what job did you two get?" Miguel asked the Chikaras.

"I'm finding a missing person," Mina replied, sipping an energy drink.

"My brother and I are going to help a blacksmith make a new weapon," Galactica said. "I'm guessing that he wants us to find materials from Ragol."

"We got stuck with a stupid mission," Anne sighed, standing up straight. "Some Android screwed around and got separated."

"From who?" Mina asked.

"Himself, ha!" Miguel snickered. "Somehow, he fell apart a few days ago and got scattered. The Guild only has the quest because he sent a letter through BEE. The Guild ladies are uploading his message onto our ISLs right now."

"What's BEE?" Galactica asked, raising an unseen eyebrow under her headgear.

"A data transporter," Mina answered. "It allows for communication between people on Ragol and Pioneer 2. Think of it as a slower version of voice messaging." T-65 and Xero were somewhere else in the crowded room, also leaning against a wall.

"Man," Xero sighed, "aren't there other Guilds besides this one. It's crowded as hell in here."

"A lotta' people have Ragol problems," T-65 explained. "This is the only one that can use the transporter."

"Xero!" a Guild lady called over the intercom. "Your client is here."

"Gotta' go," Xero said, making his way to the front desk. Waiting for him was short, heavyset FOmarl in a white dress with black lining. A brimmed hat obscured her dull blonde hair. "Hey."

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, cupping her hands. "I'm Cicil. Guess what? I'm getting married!"

"Good for you," Xero nodded. He was hoping that he act as another arbiter for a couple.

"But," she hesitated, "I know I'm out of shape… but if I… I'm staying on Ragol to exercise and get in shape before I see him. But every time I go hunting I use all my recovery items. So I decided that I needed to control my diet."

"Why don't you just go to a gym or something?" Xero wondered aloud.

"That would take too long," she explained. "Listen, it's simple. All you have to do is go to a target point with me. But you have to guard me so that I won't need to use any recovery items. The target point is the waterfall underground. Got it?"

"Okay," Xero said, shaking his head regretfully. As they walked out of the Guild a short, redheaded HUnewearl gave her a thumbs-up. As they walked toward the transporter, they heard a young man in a blue shirt and orange pants talking to himself.

"Cicil suddenly disappeared one day," he said, pacing back and forth, "and she hasn't returned. It's been a week since she disappeared! Why isn't she back!" he cried out. "Perhaps…something happened to her. Or maybe…she doesn't love me anymore! I can't stand to imagine that! She's so beautiful. She's in great shape and she's smart too. She's perfect for me! She's my goddess!" Cicil blushed deeply as they walked into the transporter.

"Freak," Xero muttered as they teleported.

"Okay," T-65 said, picking a metallic stone out of a Forest 1 stream. "Got the Miwontite."

"Good," Galactica said, checking off the item on a list in her ISL. "Next we need…a Dragon Fang." The two Androids looked at each other disdainfully.

"At least we know where we can find one," T-65 said, walking down a path amidst dead Boomas.

Mina was with her client in the fiery Caves. Her client was a preteen FOmarl named Matha Grave. Her dress was red and black. Her light pink hair was wrapped into two balls on her head by red ribbons. She was on a quest to find her favorite butler, a famous Ranger named Blant. At the moment, the two were blasting Evil Sharks. Matha downed one with a ball of Foie. Mina zapped four with a single Gizonde. Two Poison Lilies appeared, immediately spitting at the two. A bolt of lightning from Mina and a ball of fire from Matha destroyed them quickly. Mina winced as she noticed the green ooze on her side. Matha took notice and raised her glowing green hand. The pain disappeared instantly.

"You're pretty good for someone so young," Mina said approvingly.

"I took this up as a hobby," Matha said, not looking particularly pleased. "But I'll use it to find Blant… What's that?" She pointed to a lit pod on the ground.

"A message pod," Mina gasped, leaning down to activate it. The voice that emanated from it sounded like exactly like a Coralian butler.

"If possible, please deliver my message to Miss Matha Graves. I'm Blant, a butler to the Grave family. The Graves are famous scientists: a biologist and a physicist. They've been working hard, doing research for the government. So I've been taking care of their only daughter, Miss Matha Grave. Their research was top secret. The government alone knew what they did. When Mr. Grave was chosen as a crewmember for Pioneer 1, he told me, "We won't be bringing Matha with us. Don't let her go on Pioneer 2." I was angry with his order at the time but… Well, here comes another monster. Maybe later…"

"Blant," Matha said worriedly. Out of the corner of her eye, Mina noticed another lit pod. She walked to it and turned it on. The voice was that of a young woman.

Wow…this cave is a treasure trove of discoveries: Creatures that have never been seen by people, completely unknown animals. They look like mutant forms of the native animals… Perhaps the government has kept this a secret… It's possible…but for what purpose?

"That's Red Ring Rico!" Mina shouted, picking up the pod. "She made it down here…? Well, first things first. Let's go find Blant."

Miguel and Anne walked through a section of the ever-rainy Forest 2. They had met so little opposition, that they put away their weapons. They came across a RAmar in red and black body armor, carrying a Handgun. He had spiky blond hair and a black headband. He looked very content when he noticed them.

"You hunters, too?" he asked, smiling. "How's everything?"

"Fine, thanks," Miguel said, looking around for any Android parts.

"What are you so happy about?" Anne asked, annoyed by his grinning.

"Me? Ha, ha, ha!" the Ranger laughed. "I found something very special today. I'm going to sell it secretly in the city. This must be pretty valuable on the black market. Today's my lucky day!" He quickly unleashed a Telepipe and warped back to the city.

"See anything, Miguel?" Anne asked, looking up to him.

"Yep!" he said, equipping his Partisan as he walked to a teleporter. "Someone's fighting at Central Dome! We'd better get there before something happens to Lionel." Anne could see energy shots being dispersed from the ledge above the teleporter, on the landing pad, and quickly followed.

"Not our day," T-65 groaned as another set of Gigoboomas rose out of the ground. They had gotten to the landing pad just before Central Dome when every animal in the forest had begun to attack. Galactica was against his back, fending off Rag Rappies with her rapid-fire Mechguns.

"This is the fourth time this has happened," Galactica said, gunning down another Rappy as a Monest landed nearby. She began spraying bullets at the nest, while T-65 picked off the remaining Rappies with his Fire Rifle. The Gigoboomas and Mothmants began to close in on the overwhelmed duo. Suddenly, a bladed boomerang cut through each of the Mothmants. A staff ending in a green photon blade slammed into the Gigoboomas, removing their crests. The boomerang returned to the purple metal-gloved hand of Anne. Miguel continued to swing large arcs at the Gigoboomas until they fell dead. The landing pad was covered in blood and animal carcasses.

"What are you guys doin' here?" T-65 asked as the nearby Monest began to disintegrate.

"Some part of our client is around here somewhere," Miguel answered, scanning the area with his bright yellow eye.

"What?" T-65 asked, lowering his rifle in surprise.

"I'll explain later," Galactica said, pulling him through the next gate.

"Let's try the pit," Anne suggested going to another teleporter.

"Right behind ya," Miguel said, joining her. They reappeared in a large hole near the pad. The soil was dark, and the walls were grey stone covered in ivy. There was a small stream flowing through two cracks in the walls. Lying in that stream was a dull purple, metal oval object with a protrusion on one side.

"I think this is it," Anne said, picking up the object by the protrusion.

"Excuse me," a voice came from the object. "Are you the hunter who came to rescue me?"

"You can still talk!" she asked, nearly dropping the android head in shock. She rotated it to see his face, which was even blanker than Miguel's. It had no mouth or eyes, only a few slits in the metal where its eyes would be.

"Sorry that I'm like this," the head said apologetically. "I'm Lionel. I was in sleep mode as my energy was very low."

"Where's the rest of you?" Miguel asked, looking down awkwardly at the android head in Anne's hands.

"Good question!" Lionel said as more energy shots could be heard in the background. "My body! A strange monster attacked me, and I was heavily damaged. I managed to escape from the monsters, but it got worse after that. I dropped my legs and an arm. Then I lost my body. Please find all my missing parts!"

"Can't get paid otherwise," Miguel replied.

"Great!" Lionel cheered. "Thank you! The sensors in my missing parts are still working. I can roughly detect their locations. Right leg, left leg, right arm, and my body with the left arm; that's four parts total. Got it?"

"Got it," Anne said, tossing him to Miguel.

"Hey, be careful!" Lionel exclaimed. "Handle me with care."

"So, what's first on the list?" Miguel asked, not knowing where to put the head.

"I've got a signal from my right arm," Lionel answered. "It is…in something soft…and in some sort of liquid? Oh! Sometimes I feel a burning sensation. Do you know of this place?"

"The Caves?" Miguel suggested as they went through the teleporter, back to the landing pad.

"I don't think this guy's sensors would last this long in lava," Anne said cynically.

"Well, I'm out of ideas," Miguel said, still holding Lionel's head in his hand. They walked through the gate in time to see Galactica use the large red teleporter ahead. Left waiting there were two Hildebears, who had taken some damage, judging from the burns and bruises.

"I'll handle this," Anne said, stepping in front of the HUcast as the creatures turned around to see them. "You hang back a bit." Miguel shrugged and stood back as Anne's high heels retracted into her feet. She switched her Slicer for her Daggers.

"On your mark," Miguel began, as Anne crouched down. "Get set… Go!" She bolted off toward the apes. As one pulled its arm back to punch, she leapt onto its chest, burying her daggers into its face, and jumped with a flying kick into the other Hildebear. As it fell, she dug her blades into its head and leapt back onto the ground.

"How was that?" Anne asked hopefully to Miguel.

"I'll give it an 8.9," Miguel responded.

"I sense my right arm very close by," Lionel piped up. A shadow moved over Anne.

"Anne!" Miguel shouted, running forward. Before she could dive out of the way, a Hildebear landed on her, pinning her down. As Miguel ran forth, ready to attack with his Partisan, the beast smacked him and his Mag over the cliff, behind another gate.

"Hey, careful!" Lionel shouted irritably, as his head clunked beside Miguel. The HUcast rose to his feet and tried to reach the ledge, but it was too high up. Anne reached for one of her Daggers and pressed it into the beast's clawed foot. It growled and stepped off her. As Anne tried to hop to her feet, it slammed her back down with a double ax handle, cracking the cement underneath her. Then, it picked her up and began to slam her into the ground over and over again. By now, Miguel had scaled the wall by driving his Sword deep into it, and using it as leverage. When had finally climbed over the edge, he saw the monster clutching Anne limply by her ponytail. Her Mag looked as if it had gone through a trash compactor, and lied to the side.

Re-summoning his Partisan, Miguel charged the monster shouting, "Get your hands off her, you damn dirty ape!" He swung the blade, which hummed with photon energy, into the Hildebear, causing it to drop his companion. Miguel continued to hack and batter the animal until it caught his weapon with both hands. It growled and stared at him with its narrow yellow eyes. Miguel glared back with his brightly glowing yellow eye. The creature quickly snapped the Partisan in two and smacked Miguel back. Miguel looked over the ledge and reached down, yanking his massive Sword out of the wall. He charged the creature again and lunged. It bellowed as the blade sank into its thick arm and tried to bat the Android away once again. Miguel raised his Sword to absorb the blow. Unfortunately, it was knocked out of his grasp and clattered some distance to the side. The Hildebear raised both its arms, ready to crush Miguel. In a split-second decision, Miguel charged straight into the beast's unguarded abdomen. It yelped and slowly lowered its arms, weakly trying to grab him. Miguel stepped back, pulling his now bloody horn out of its abdomen just as the Hildebear collapsed with an odd clanking noise. Miguel ignored it and went straight to Anne, who was slowly getting to her feet.

"Anne, are you okay?" Miguel asked worriedly. "Stupid question. Here, let me help you up," he said, taking her arm.

"I'm fine!" she said brusquely, pulling her arm away. "Now where's that talking head?"

"I'm down here!" Lionel called from over the cliff. "My arm should be very close by!" Miguel walked to the body of the Hildebear and rolled it onto its back. He dug through the hole he had made in its stomach with his horn and pulled out Lionel's purple arm.

"Good," Anne said, limping over to him. "Hey, _cabeza_, what's next?"

"Did yOu finD my arm?" Lionel asked, his voice distorting.

"Yeah," Anne answered, as she photonized her severely damaged mag into her ISL.

"ThANks," Lionel said. "WaIt a mINUte… BotH of mY legs are In watER…bUt what Is this diFereNce? I GOt it. THe aiR."

"What?" Anne asked, as one of her bangs broke from her forehead and clinked on the ground. "Damn." Miguel sprayed a Star Atomizer into the air. The revitalizing mist completely healed both of them, although, the broken bang wasn't an injury that could be healed. She tried to act as if nothing happened and hopped down to Lionel's head.

"LefT leg," Lionel struggled to say, "iS in cold UndergRound AIr. And My rIGHt leG in the oPen air. Not iN The unDergrOUnd. My voIcE sYSteM…geTtIng wOrse…sorRy."

"Got it," Anne said, picking him up. "One's in the Forest and the other's in the Caves."

As the last few shots rang out, the Dragon finally keeled over. Before it mysteriously disappeared, T-65 held open its mouth while Galactica cut a few fangs loose with her Saber.

"Getting' a few souvenirs, huh?" he muttered.

"It certainly won't be needing them," Galactica replied. "Mother might even be able to make use of the extra materials. Now all we need is a mineral."

"Let's see how you handle the caves," T-65 smirked.

"Dammit!" Xero cursed as he was knocked over by an energy torpedo from a Nano Dragon.

"Are you okay?" Cicil asked, standing off to the side.

"I could use a little help here," Xero said, hopping to his feet. He ran straight for the reptile and slashed its face. When it held its ground and began to charge, he ducked out of the way just before it unleashed a blue beam that tore across the cavern. Cicil chose that moment to use Barta on it, conveniently killing it.

"You're a Force, right?" Xero asked irritably.

"Yes," she said innocently.

"And Forces use mostly techs, right?" he added.

"Uh huh," she said, getting nervous.

"Then, why don't you use something besides Barta?" Xero yelled.

"Hey!" she yelled back. "If I had them, I'd use them. I mean, why would be using all those 'mates if I actually had Resta or something."

"What kinda level 13 Force doesn't have Resta?" Xero said exasperatedly.

"I'm not paying you to criticize me," Cicil replied. "Now, let's go! It's way too hot in here." As soon as they left, Mina and Matha entered from another doorway.

"It looks like someone has already been through here," Mina said, noting the mutant blood on the floor. Matha nearly tripped over something and a voice began to sound.

"Mr. Grave said nothing, but he showed me his computer monitor. I can't describe it, but I saw some results from genetic engineering."

"Genetic engineering?" Matha and Mina said simultaneously.

"Mr. Grave kept silent. A chill ran down my spine. Is the "Pioneer Project" really just an immigration plan!"

_"I knew it!_" Mina exclaimed to herself. "_I knew there was something fishy about this whole thing._"

"Alright, we're done," Galactica said thankfully, as T-65 chipped off a piece of red mineral inside Caves 1.

"This was a little too easy," T-65 grunted. "Why don't we just go and find all the minerals we can down here?"

"You're kidding," Galactica said, sweating. "Fighting a Dragon and then coming into this blazing hot pit just isn't enough for you, is it?"

"What, can't take the heat?" T-65 grinned. "No one's stoppin' you from leavin', sis."

"I honestly don't know how you can take this heat so lightly," Galactica sighed. "Very well, then. Let's search the entirety of this blasted maze. At least it gets cooler after this section." The next room was incredibly large. It had lava falls on both sides and a hole in the middle that blasted out a pillar of fire periodically. Galactiva took a moment to take in the sight. "Sometimes, I truly do hate you, T-65."

"Aw, come on," he said optimistically. "At least there aren't any monsters." As soon as they stepped into the room, lines of sharks appeared before them.

"Remind me to hit you if we survive this," Galactica sighed before running into battle with guns blazing. She swept the room back and forth, pausing to let the Mechguns recharge after every few bursts. T-65 picked off anything that hadn't taken enough damage from his sister. Suddenly the doors opened behind them and Miguel and Anne burst through.

"Hey, guys," Miguel said casually as he smashed his Sword into four sharks at once. "Need a little help?"

"Sure," T-65 replied with equal relaxation in his voice.

Anne held her fatally damaged mag in both hands and looked into its visual sensor. "You've helped me out a lot over the years. It's time for you to do one last thing." Then she tossed it into the center of the crowd of sharks. Some sharks were blasted away by the sudden appearance of Farla the Serpent. It spun around in a circle, tearing and burning the monsters as it turned into a circle of fire that spread out just enough to incinerate them all. Anne kicked the nearest corpse to see if it was dead. When it didn't move she nodded approvingly, "That'll do, mag. That'll do." When a Grass Assassin suddenly appeared next to her, she sliced off both of its arms with her Daggers and walked away.

"…Let me just take that out for ya," T-65 said, finishing off the miserable creature. When the door opened once again, Xero and Cicil arrived in time to see all weapons pointed at them.

"Whoa, who, don't shoot!" Xero yelled. Cicil didn't seem to care as she leaned against the doorway panting.

"I…don't think I can…do this," she panted. Then, she stood up straight, "But for Albert…I'll do anything. C'mon, Xero. Lead the way." The Androids silently watched them jog across the cavern and through the other door. When the door opened again, Mina and Matha also met weapons pointed at them.

"Sheesh, is everyone down here?" Miguel said as they lowered their weapons.

"Excuse me," Matha said, jogging by. Mina smiled at them as she followed suit. The Androids glanced at one another and began to jog after them.

It had not taken long for the androids to reach a transporter to Caves 2. On the way, they had explained their quests to one another. The first room they reached seemed to have been cleared of all monsters, judging by the large blast spot in the center of the blue cave. They ran through the next door just as Xero cut down the last Pal Shark.

"I see you finally defeated something," Galactica said, walking into the dark room.

"Shut up," Xero said curtly.

"Actually, I just cast Zalure," Mina said, standing beside the door with Matha, next to a message pod. "He said he needed the experience."

"Shut up," Xero repeated. He went with Cicil through one of the two doors.

"Is that one of Rico's message pods?" T-65 asked.

"No," Matha answered grimly. She then, quietly motioned for Mina to come along through the same door. When the door opened, there stood Xero, looking annoyed. Cicil was jogging right behind him, looking about ready to collapse.

"Dead end," Xero said, walking towards the other door.

"What kind of dead end?" Mina asked.

"The kind with lots of really big rocks blocking the freaking way," Xero grumbled.

"Can…we…please…take…a…break?" Cicil panted.

"Screw that! We're gettin' this over with!" Xero said, walking through the door.

"Looks like we're all going that way," T-65 said, following him.

"Just a second," Mina said, examining the map on her ISL. "According to this, that door leads to a high energy signature, like transporter. The map shows a similar energy signature in a separate area that can't be reached without a transporter. It's a pretty straightforward path, but it's also a dead end."

"Then, what the hell am I supposed to do!" Xero exclaimed.

Mina glanced at her ISL. "Miguel, Anne, you two should check out that passage. There're two energy signatures coming from the end of that passage. Everyone else is with me. We can get through those rocks."

Once Anne and Miguel came out of the transporter and exited the room, they could see several floor switches throughout the room. They could also clearly see trap mines over a few of them. They could also see a puddle of blue slime floating through the wet cave. When the Pofuilly Slime rose out to attack it was quickly splattered by a downward strike with the broad side of Miguel's sword. Meanwhile, Anne destroyed the traps with her Slicer. They activated the switches and opened the next door. Oddly enough, not a word had been said between them.

After exiting through the door, they reached a bright, but very small area. Conveniently enough, there was an android leg lying in the center of the room for Anne to pick up. Lionel was barely able to speak from the ISL. "You foUND Both! Great! TheSE pArtS aRe my oLd friENds. OnLy ONe moRe boDypAart iS left. I fEel likE it is movINg." Anne took note of that, despite its uselessness. Suddenly, Miguel lifted her off the ground.

"Miguel, what are you doing?" Anne demanded. He carried her a few steps and set her down under a healing rig that was tucked into a cranny. He held up his palm, which held the fragment of her bang. As the healing rig came down around her, the hair fragment flew back into place.

"That looks better," Miguel said.

Then, Lionel spoke, "WhAt iF my paRts neVeEr fUncTion aGain? The maiN coNtrOl _is_ installEd in tHe body. It iS verY valUAble. I hEaRd that diSmantlEd androiDs are soLd on the bLAck markEt… WhaT if…foUnd…caN't…speAk…" Anne and Miguel stared at their ISLs.

"…So anyway," Anne began, "I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. I just don't like being saved. It makes me feel…weak."

"It's cool," Miguel answered. "That Hildebear was tougher than all the others. Besides, you can buy me a beer when we get back."

"Sure, but where to next? _La cabeza_ here didn't exactly give us a great clue and he doesn't seem to be holding up well either."

"Let's just head back to the ship. If the black market has him, he's screwed anyway…Besides, when was the last time you ever heard of someone keeping their central control in their body and not their head?" Then he began to laugh at that thought. "I mean, come on! One good hit in the torso and they're done!"

Anne did not look amused at all and set a telepipe. "Hmph! Well, excuse me for being built differently!" She stormed into the pipe and disappeared.

"I think I just kissed that beer goodbye," Miguel sighed.

"It's simple," Mina said confidently as she and the others stood in front of the rocks blocking the path. "You two just lay all your bombs into these key points and the whole wall should collapse."

"How do you know that will be enough?" Galactica asked.

"Because a frozen structure is a weakened structure," Mina said, using an ice spell to freeze over the rocks. "Okay, go for it." T-65 and Galactica ejected their traps and quickly set them into place before backing away. Mina charged dark energy into her hands and waited until the explosives went off. Once they did, she flung the Megid attack into the fray. After the smoke cleared, a door could be seen. They passed through it and into one of the big, bright areas with trees and ponds.

"It looks like we've got company," T-65 said, taking aim as sharks, Poison Lilies, and two Grass Assassins appeared.

"Here we go again," Cicil sighed. All of the monsters were annihilated by a single blast of Mina's Rafoie.

"Hey, I needed that experience!" Xero yelled.

"Sorry, but we're in a hurry," Mina said, running with Matha through the door on the other side of the room.

"Let's try to keep up," Galactica said, taking chase.

"Not more running!" Cicil complained. They all entered a long, but beautiful hallway with walls that reflected the movement of the water. The jellyfish that were floating in the distance quickly scurried away. At the end of the hallway and on the other side of the door, there was a room full of miniature waterfalls and a small rainbow could be seen from their angle.

Cicil looked upon the room as if she were looking at heaven. "Oh, Xero. Thank you so very much! I did it! I finally completed my workout without using a single 'mate. I've got to go right now and weigh myself." She tossed down a telepipe and quickly went through.

"It's about damn time," Xero sighed, walking into the telepipe. "I'll see you guys later."

Matha and Mina were listening to Blant's message pod.

"My only regret is, I've left Matha alone. She was always alone, without her parents. And now, I can no longer take care of her. Matha, listen to me. Your father and mother left without you. It was because they loved you so much. Don't misunderstand. I don't know who is reading this message... but please tell Matha. Tell her that I hope she lives with courage... I'll always be with you. Always...So long..."

"Blant…" Matha said quietly.

"Matha?" Mina asked, approaching her. "Are you…?"

"I'll be okay. Let's go back to Pioneer 2."

"Sure," Mina said casting Ryuker.

"There's plenty of green minerals here," T-65 said as he and his sister gathered a few minerals off the walls.

"Is your sense of adventure satisfied yet?" Galactica asked, taking off her headgear and looking it over.

"What's the matter? Tired?"

"I really don't feel like meandering through this labyrinth any longer," she said.

After another hour of wandering, T-65 and Galactica finally walked into the small room in Caves 3 full of blue minerals. Both were tired, but neither was willing to admit it to the other. Just as they grabbed the minerals, they happened to meet Seth.

"I wasn't expecting to see you two here," he spoke, twirling his golden Gladius. "I guess that means we can start training out here next week."

Once he walked out of the room, Galactica put away her guns and slapped T-65 on the back of his head. "Hey!" he yelled. "What was that for?"

"That was for not reminding me to hit you," she said, slapping him again. "_That_ was for dragging me along with you."

"You coulda' left whenever you wanted," he retorted. "It's not my fault that I like to go a little further than you….Did ya ever wonder what's at the end of the cave?"

"Get in the pipe!" she snapped, setting a telepipe. Before either could enter, Mina walked out of it.

"Hey, you two!" she squealed, smiling mischievously. "How would you like to help Mommy do some research at the end of the Caves?"

"I'm in!" T-65 said before Galactica could object.

"Great! How about you, GA?"

Galactica closed her eyes in frustration and balled her fist. Then, she opened her eyes and smiled cheerfully. "Sure, why not? I don't have anything better to do today. I'm sure Ozwald can wait another few hours for us to get back." She reequipped her Mechguns and marched away.

"It looks like someone's in trouble," Mina said, winking at T-65.

_Notes:_ A nice, long, healthy chapter out of the way. I don't plan to do all the quests, just the ones that make for good filler.

_On the next overdue episode of PSO: Sidestory:_ Mina, Galactica, and T-65 reach the end of the Caves. I think we all know by now what's waiting for them. They might need a little help fighting this unusual creature. Meanwhile, Misha isn't handling Taya's new personality and absence too well. In fact, Taya is staying far away from Misha, setting her sights on Van. The legend is retold in "The Rough Wave." We're back, baby…**Only Toonami!**


	23. The Rough Wave

**Chapter 23: The Rough Wave**

Misha, completely bored, sat in Serenitiy's room while Serenity studied. Taya had not shown up at all. Misha kept checking the time, hoping that Taya would arrive.

"You seem distracted," Serenity said, still focusing on the screen.

"Well, Taya's not here," Misha answered. "She's supposed to be here."

"Why does it matter so much?"

"She's my best friend," Misha said. "We're always together."

"So I've noticed."

"She must be in trouble," Misha said, standing up. "Why else hasn't she called me?"

"Have you considered that she might just want to be with someone other than you?" Serenity said, finally looking at her. "She has been acting more mature lately. She's growing up just like you and me. Perhaps her interest in boys has outgrown you."

"…No," Misha grumbled. "She would have at least told me that she was busy doing something else."

Taya was at the park, playing cards with Van. As usual, she was beating him.

"Now," she began, picking a card from her hand, "I'll summon The Guardian of Rough Wave. That should win the game for me."

"Yep, you beat me," Van said, collecting his cards. "I've never seen that card before…but that picture looks familiar." On the card, there was a giant sea serpent with a humanoid skull for a mask.

"You're so clever to notice," Taya spoke, crawling along the grass so that she sat beside him. "Would you like to hear the legend of the Rough Wave?"

"Sure," Van nodded.

"Long ago, the world was once covered in water," she said, lying against him. "It was an infinitely huge ocean that covered all. It was the Leviathan's duty to guard the ocean from evil. Over time, though, the ocean began to recede and underwater mountains became islands. The Leviathan, being a sea creature, was hardly able to guard the land from evil so a second creature, the Behemoth, was born to guard the land. Skipping ahead through the story a bit, the Leviathan and the Behemoth became rivals. They challenged one another to a duel. In the end, both were mortally wounded. The Leviathan, knowing that it would not be able to guard the seas, created a guardian that would at least be able to keep the waves rolling and the tides turning. That creature was De Rol Le. Its name means _The Rough Wave_. As you can probably tell by the name, it was a vicious creature. It lurked in the darkest waters, waiting to attack anything that disturbed its waters."

"Wow, where you'd learn that?" Van asked, impressed by the story.

"I read when I'm not doing anything important," Taya smiled.

"Say, where's Misha? She's usually with you, isn't she?"

"Not today," Taya answered. Then she thought to herself, _"And hopefully, not ever again."_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

While T-65 and Galactica took on the monsters in the next room of Caves 3, Mina had listened to the message pod from Rico. "A giant worm?" She frowned and walked into the next room where her children were waiting near a large red transporter.

"Did you find anything useful?" Galactica asked.

"All of these creatures may have been mutated by a giant worm," Mina said.

"Giant worm?" T-65 and Galactica said.

"Be careful," Mina said, equipping a Lockgun. They stepped into the transport and teleported.

They all stumbled as they materialized on a moving platform. It was a raft speeding through a dark, sewer-like tunnel. The water was green and dirty. There were enough lights to see a few yards away from the raft in all directions.

"What is this place?" Galactica asked, readying her guns.

"It looks like a sewer," Mina answered, seeing other tunnels whiz by. "This is a high-speed transport raft…probably for carrying lots of large supplies." There was a splash behind them. They all turned around and saw nothing except green water.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," T-65 said, looking around. Their Mags suddenly activated and powered them up. Just then, there was a huge splash as a giant serpentine monster leapt over the raft and into the water. It surfaced beside the raft, easily keeping up. It had large, dolphin-like jaws, a humanoid skull on its crest with an eye on the forehead, and four neon orange tentacles.

**Boss: De Rol Le**

_The Rough Wave_

"The Rough Wave," Mina gasped. Suddenly, it leapt over the raft again, dropping spikes onto the raft as it splashed into the water. "Get away from those!" Mina shouted, moving to one corner of the raft.

"What are they?" T-65 asked, moving with Galactica into the corner. The spikes began to explode, releasing a noxious gas.

"It's corrosive gas!" Galactica noted as the gas burned into part of the raft. They heard a splash from behind and saw the finned tail of De Rol Le whip under water. A series of glowing purple energy balls flew through the air at them.

"Get down!" Mina shouted, tackling Galactica and T-65 to the ground. A few of the low balls exploded on the raft. They all got to their feet just as the beast leapt out of the water and flopped its head onto the edge of the raft, holding onto it. Mina was knocked to the floor once again, while T-65 and Galactica opened fire on its face. It didn't seem to be affected by the photon bullets hitting it dead in the face.

"It's not working!" Galactica shouted.

"Take this!" Mina yelled, diving to its side and launching a Rafoie where there was no bone. It let out an audible groan and wiggled its tentacles. One tendril whipped her to the floor and tried to skewer her, just barely missing her. Another tendril missed between her legs. The third tendril shot into the raft, where her head would have been had she not bent her neck to the side.

"Mom!" T-65 called, running to help her since she was effectively pinned. De Rol Le buckled and knocked both him and Galactica out of the way. Its last tendril straightened, ready to pierce Mina.

"Help!" Mina screamed. The tendril lunged forth directly at her chest.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Seth hopped onto raft and split the tendril with his Gladius. Then, he sliced the other tendrils apart and charged De Rol Le, slicing into its face. It growled and fell back into the water. "Mina, are you okay?"

"Seth, what are you doing here?" Mina asked, getting to her feet.

"Not now," he said, keeping his battle stance and materializing a Lockgun into his left hand. "Galactica, switch to a Rifle. T-65, watch the rear. Shoot on sight and don't aim for the bone."

"Right," they both said, following his orders. The raft shook as something hit it from underneath. De Rol Le appeared, swimming beside the raft.

"Fire!" Seth ordered. T-65 and Galactica shot at the part just behind its skull. Mina and Seth used Rafoie.

"Uuuarrrg!" it growled as its skull cracked. It dived underwater, leaving purple energy balls to fly across the raft. T-65 and Galactica were both knocked down. Seth shielded Mina from a few of the projectiles. Mina instinctively healed everyone and turned to see De Rol Le swimming far behind the raft. It jumped over the raft, leaving spikes to fall on the raft. Seth quickly dispatched the spikes with a few sweeps of his photon blade.

Next, De Rol Le landed on the edge of the raft once again. It snapped at anyone that got near. Mina's Rafoie blasted into its hide and its skull shattered, leaving a worm-like face staring at them. They all shot into its groaning face until it fell off the raft.

"Where did it go?" T-65 cringed when it did not reappear for a moment. The tunnel began to rumble. They turned to the source of the rumbling and saw it crawling along the ceiling, causing rocks to fall everywhere. Everyone dodged the large rocks, which put dents into the raft. The monster went far into the darkness of the tunnel and out of sight. There was a splash on the other side of the raft and its tail could be seen, raised out of the water and pointed at them. Purple energy gathered at its tip.

"Move!" Seth shouted. He rolled out of the way as a beam shot from the tail and swept toward him. T-65 and Galactica took shots at the tail when it stopped shooting. It charged up once again and everyone was forced to scramble. Seth switched his Gladius for a sheathed katana with a purple seal scroll wrapped near the hilt. When the next beam charged, he held the sword by both ends. The beam struck the seal, which seemed to absorb the energy. Everyone else took whatever shots they could until the tail sank below the water. De Rol Le rose next to the raft and rammed it.

"It's trying to knock us off!" Mina yelled, bracing herself. It slammed into the raft again even as T-65 and Galactica fired away. Once a second layer of armor fell off its body, it leapt onto the edge of the raft. It charged purple energy into its slimy, hole of a mouth. Before it could fire, Seth jammed his sheathed sword into its mouth. It yelped and paused completely.

"Now die," Seth hissed. He twisted the weapon and sliced upward of the creature's face, finally ripping it out at De Rol Le's main eye. It bellowed and rose high into the air, dragging its face along the ceiling. It finally collapsed into the water and never rose again. The raft slowly came to a halt at a small stairway that led up to a door.

"Is everyone alright?" Seth asked.

"What was something like that doing down here?" Galactica asked, falling to one knee.

"That thing didn't even look natural," T-65 said.

"I'm sure that was the giant worm Rico mentioned," Mina said. She turned to Seth and bowed. "Thank you, Seth. You made that a lot easier. But how did you get here."

"I was at a dock in the Caves. I heard you all down the tunnel and jumped onboard when you passed."

"Where'd you get that sword," T-65 asked.

Seth looked down at the sword nostalgically as itlet the slime easily slide off. "…It was a gift from my uncle. I still haven't been able to unseal it though. That's why it's still sheathed."

"I wonder what's through that door," Mina said stepping toward the stairway.

"Mina," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder before quickly taking it away. "…I think you've been through enough today. Why don't you just report to the Principal and have a transport launched here?"

"I second that," Galactica said, raising her hand.

"Yeah, let's call it a day," T-65 agreed.

"Oh, all right," Mina sighed. "I guess I'm just a little excited from seeing the Rough Wave."

Taya curled up next to Van under the tree. Van blushed deeply and slowly put his arm around her. She whispered into his ear, "It's okay. Don't be afraid."

"Can…I…kiss…y-y-you?" he stuttered nervously. She puckered her lips and slowly drew close to him. Suddenly, a shadow came over them, ruining the moment. A silver android and a sickly little girl stood in their way. The girl's hair was long and white and she wore small black ribbons in it. She also wore a long, black dress.

"What do you want?" Taya sneered.

"Are you Taya?" the little girl asked in her quiet voice.

"Yes, why?"

"Let her go," the girl said, staring directly into her eyes. Van let go of Taya and scooted away. Taya could not break away from gazing back at the girl's icy blue eyes. The little girl blinked and looked up to the android Tiem. The racaseal nodded and picked her up, walking away with her.

"I…I can move," Taya whispered to herself, slowly wiggling her fingers. The other presence had lost all control, being seemingly shoved into the back of her mind by a much stronger force. Tears of joy began to flow from Taya's eyes.

"Taya, are you okay?" Van asked worriedly.

"I have to go," she said, getting up and running away.

The Kuhra family was gathered at the dinner table. Cloud was there as well, enjoying Daniela's excellent cooking.

"Man, this is good," he said, swallowing.

"Thanks," Daniela smiled. "You'd think that making Monomate soup would be hard."

"If this is your cooking," he began, "your mother's must be unbelievable." Her mother giggled and blushed.

"Unbelievable is right," Daniela muttered.

"Yeah, I'm not very good," her mother giggled. "I'm a little clumsy, so my cooking doesn't turn out right." They all laughed, except for Misha, who was swirling her soup morosely.

"What's the matter, squirt?" Cloud grinned at her. "Not hungry."

She looked up from him and glared at him with dagger-like eyes. Her ears folded back flat against her head. All of the laughing stopped completely. She rose from her seat and went to her room growling.

"She's a little upset because she hasn't seen Taya for at least a week," her mother explained, giggling nervously. "We'll let her calm down for a little while. Then, I'll talk to her."

"Now that you mention it," Cloud said thoughtfully, "Taya _has_ been acting a little funny. In fact, she's been acting totally different from before, like she grew up in a day or something."

"Maybe she's just growing up," Daniela suggested.

"Well, you're grown up and you don't act like that," Cloud said.

"Yeah," her mother agreed. "You get a little cranky sometimes, but Misha's always been like that."

"That's not what I mean," Daniela sighed, rolling her eyes. "I mean…she might be going through certain…life processes…" Cloud and her mother gave her an odd look, not knowing what she was getting at. Then it hit them.

"Oh…Oh!" Cloud exclaimed, feeling awkward.

"Oh, that!" her mother said, blushing.

"Xero's gonna have a hell of a time with that," Cloud muttered. "One of these days, could one of you come over and…uh…walk Taya through that stuff?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Don't you think Misha's been spending too much time with her anyway?" Daniela asked.

"Well, they are best friends," her mother contended.

"Yeah, but this is the first time she's been separated from Taya and look at how she's taking it. That's not healthy. You might want to get her to see a therapist or something."

Meanwhile, Misha buried herself in the pillows of her bed, silently crying to herself as a flurry of thoughts flew through her mind. _"Why should I care what she does? Why am I acting like a big baby? She's with Van. I should be happy for her since she obviously likes him so much…enough to forget about me anyway…"_ She clutched her head under the pillows and beat on the bed. "Dammit!"

The doorbell began to ring repeatedly and there was furious banging on the door. Starr, who was Daniela's mother, offered to answer the door. She tripped and fell on her face, but quickly got back up, despite Cloud and Daniela's snickering. On the security screen, Taya was banging on the door and repeatedly pressing the doorbell. Starr opened the door. "Hello, Taya. Is something…wrong?" As soon as the door had opened, Taya had zoomed through the dining room and straight to Misha's room.

"Misha!" she called desperately. Her face was still wet with tears. "It's me Taya!"

"Taya!" Misha said, sitting up and looking at her door. She got up and ran to open the door. As soon as it was open, Taya jumped into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Taya, you came back!"

"I missed you so much!" Taya squealed, openly crying her heart out.

"I missed you too, Taya," Misha said in a calmer voice, though tears still streamed out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you!" Taya cried. "She wouldn't let me see you or even talk to you! She didn't even let me move on my own! She controlled my body and made me say all those bad things! But then, that girl came and did something. She freed me and made her go away."

"Whoa, whoa," Misha calmed her, letting her down. Even when Taya stood on her own feet, she refused to let go. "Who's _she_ and this girl?"

"She's lives in my head," Taya said, leaning on Misha. "She's been there ever since I can remember. She tells me to do things. When I tried to block her out, she took over my body. She doesn't like you at all. But I really like you! You know I really do!"

"I know, I know," Misha said, quieting her. "Just calm down."

"Please don't tell anyone," Taya sobbed. "This girl with white hair did something that made her go away…No, she didn't go away. She's still there…but she's in the back of my mind now."

"That's good," Misha said gently. "…Let's hope it stays that way." There was a knock at the door. Misha managed to get Taya to release her embrace and opened the door.

"Is everything okay?" Starr asked.

"Everything's fine," Misha smiled, wiping away her tears.

"Oh, so you two made up," Starr smiled. "That's nice to hear. Taya, are you hungry?"

"A little," Taya sniffled. "Mrs. Kuhra, is it okay if I spend the night?"

"That's fine with me," she replied. "I'll go tell Cloud." She left and the door closed.

Taya looked to Misha once again. "Is it okay if I hug you again?"

"Sure," Misha rolled her eyes, opening her arms. "I guess its okay to be a little mushy today."

_Notes:_ I had always wondered about the title of De Rol Le's theme. This was my little attempt to string some logic into it. As for the identity of that girl, she'll show up again when it's relevant.

_On the next episode of Sidestory:_ Loris has something to tell her sister. But their little organization puts Xi'san in another petty mission. Xi'san is further delayed by Chronos's apparent date. The love triangle is set in "Chronos's Date." Let the battle begin…**Only Toonami!**


	24. Chronos's Date

**Chapter 24: Chronos's Date**

Xi'san and her bodyguard, Guldo, rushed to Loris's condo. Loris had called earlier and expressed that she had something important to say. Once Rose let them in, Xi'san told Guldo to stand outside while she went to speak with Loris, who sat on the living room couch.

"What is the matter?" Xi'san asked, standing before her.

"One moment," her now yellow-eyed sister said. She called out "Slyphe?"

Her bodyguard walked out of her room and nodded. "It's clear."

"What is going on?" Xi'san demanded.

"He was checking for recording devices," Loris said. Then, she patted the cushion next to her. "Please, Xi, have a seat." Xi'san did as she was told and awaited an explanation.

"Xi'san, I…" Suddenly, the phone began to ring, stopping her in mid-sentence. "…Hello, this is Loris speaking."

The holographic projector in the ceiling emitted a black image with the words _Image Not Available_. A voice that was familiar to them began to speak. "Is Yami there with you? When I called her home, I was told she was here."

"I am here," Xi'san spoke. "What is it?"

"Several hunters have explored the Caves and encountered a super mutant somewhat resembling the legendary Guardian of Rough Wave."

"De Rol Le?" Xi'san asked, not believing her ears.

"Yes," the voice replied. "For now, it will be known by that very name. A third transport will be launched into an area that reaches into No Man's Mines, which shall henceforth simply be known as the Mines. The Caves have been fully mapped and are nearly ready to act as an auxiliary base of operations, particularly for business deals. Your orders are to secure designated areas for operations in the Caves. This is to be done as quickly as possible."

"I understand," Xi'san nodded.

"And as for you," the voice said.

"Yes?" Loris answered, not looking particularly happy.

"We do not approve of the bargain prices that you have set. These new deals you have proposed create too large of a profit loss."

"They attract paying customers," Loris argued. "A survey clearly showed that more people would pay for services if there were special discounts to accommodate frequenters."

"You do not have a say in the matter!" the voice said harshly. "Our decision has been made and you are to carry out the majority's wishes immediately. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Loris said, scowling. The screen disappeared and all was silent.

"Loris?" Xi'san asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"It can wait," she answered. "We both have our orders." Xi'san looked at her for a moment and took her leave. "Rose, are you there?"

"Yes, Loris," her android maid answered.

"Put Tameenda on the phone for me, please. Slyphe, monitor the phone line."

* * *

Mina readied herself for her date with Chronos, who was patiently waiting outside her room. She was dressed in a tubetop, a choker, and a long skirt, all of which were in black. While she brushed her loose hair in the mirror, Galactica stood nearby, looking puzzled.

"Mother…I thought you said it was going to be casual."

"Just because it's casual doesn't mean I can't look good. Besides, he's wearing that stunning blue robe."

"He _always_ wears a blue robe."

"I said _stunning_," Mina emphasized.

"At least omit the makeup," Galactica pleaded. "You know how bashful he is."

"Oh, fine!" Mina sighed, putting everything away. She clamped a miniature, bracelet-like ISL onto her wrist and stood up. "How do I look?"

"Over-dressed," Galactica replied.

Mina rolled her eyes with a smirk and exited her room. "I'm ready." Chronos and T-65 had been talking until she came out. T-65 seemed to have a similar expression to Galactica's while Chronos's face turned red. His outfit consisted of his usual non-Force blue robes and fingerless gloves.

"Mina…" he said awkwardly. "You're looking…nice, today. Am I underdressed?"

"Of course not," Mina said, knowing that Galactica was giving her a look behind her back.

"T-65 tells me that you were going to build new weapons until I called," Chronos said, suppressing his blushing. "I hope I'm not being a bother."

"You aren't," Mina said, glaring at the RAcast. "He knows very well that I asked a friend to come over for that very purpose. She knows how to use the materials he and Galactica gathered." There was a ring at the doorbell. Mina checked the camera. "It looks like I'll get to introduce you to her." She opened the door, and there stood Claire in a small t-shirt and baggy green jeans.

"Thanks again, Mina," she said, grinning. "You have no idea how much extra credit my professor is gonna' give me for doing one of your projects."

"Don't mention it," Mina bowed slightly, letting her enter. "Anyway, I want you to meet…"

"Chronos!" Claire exclaimed.

"Clairice!" Chronos exclaimed. They both looked at each other with an expression of pleasant surprise.

"…Do you two know each other?" Mina asked, feeling awkward.

"Aw, c'mere," Claire giggled leaping into his arms and embracing him with her arms and legs.

"You haven't changed much at all," he said, holding her up to his height and kissing her forehead. She giggled again and kissed both his cheeks. "I knew you were on this ship somewhere."

"Aw, Chronos…" she cooed, laying her head on his shoulder.

Mina's jaw was hanging wide open as she stared appallingly at the scene. "D-Did I miss something!" T-65 and Galactica were also gaping a short distance away.

"Oh, pardon me," Chronos said, letting Claire down. "Claire, I'm Mina's date."

"Oh! Wow, sorry!" Claire blushed. "It's just that me and Chronos know each other from years ago."

"But how?" Mina contended. "He's from Dezoris."

"Don't you remember when my parents tried to half-ass an arranged marriage by sending me to live with a Dezoran family for a while?" Claire asked. "It was a year or two before you and Seth broke up."

Chronos added, "We hardly appreciated what our parents had done, but over time we grew close to one another and became good friends."

"O-kaaay," Mina said nervously. "But what about the kissi…"

"Well, don't let me hold up your date," Claire said, pushing them both out the door. "Have fun." She shut the door before either could object. Then, she looked to the two androids. "So, where are those materials you gathered?"

* * *

While Chronos and Mina ate lunch at a nearby, but expensive restaurant, he decided to break the awkward atmosphere by explaining his earlier behavior.

"Uh, Mina," he said, getting her attention. "About earlier. Claire and I were merely greeting one another the way we do on my home planet."

"Oh, really?" Mina said, not totally convinced.

"A kiss on the forehead," he explained, "is the way most males communicate great friendship. A kiss on each cheek has the same meaning, but is used mostly by females."

"Well, that does sound familiar," Mina admitted. "My mother kissed her friends like that, too. What does a peck on the mouth mean on Dezoris?"

"Eh…" Chronos began to look uncomfortable. "That's signifies what you would probably call a crush…Please tell me your mother did not do that to her friends."

"Oh, she didn't," Mina grinned. "She did that to my father…What about with tongue?"

"A kiss or just licking?" Chronos asked awkwardly.

Mina had not seen that coming, but her curiosity got to her. "…Either one."

"The kissing version means that both people are deeply in love," he answered, beginning to blush. "A lick…means that…er…the person doing the licking is…Well on Dezolis, it is what we would call being…eh…needy."

"That's funny," Mina said, not quite catching on. "My mother always told my father that she was feeling needy. I guess people just feel like being spoiled every so often."

"Uh…yes…spoiled," Chronos said, turning red.

"You're so cute when you blush," Mina squealed. "Is it okay if I ask a few more awkward questions about Dezoris?"

"I don't mind your questions at all," he said, picking up his cup of tea. "It shows that you have an interest in my culture. And Dezolis does have a few…unique features."

"Okay. It's just that I've heard some strange things about Dezoris and my family only goes there to visit my grandparents," she smiled. "Is it true Dezoran society gets stranger the further north one goes and more bland the further south one goes?"

"Yes," he answered. "Most of those unique features I mentioned originated from the northern areas. It's where android clergy could first be found. It's where successful polygamy was fairly common. It was also the first area to allow homosexual as well as bisexual marriage, both of which I hear are illegal on Coral… I was told that Motavia had a 'Don't ask; don't tell" policy," he chuckled.

"Yep, it's kind of silly," Mina giggled along. "But everyone seems to be satisfied with it. So, are you into that sort of thing like so many other guys?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow," he said, tilting his head sideways.

"You know," she laughed. "Do you like lesbians?"

"Well," he coughed, turning red again. "You certainly have a directness I envy. As for your question…I try not to think of it much since my older brother has two loving wives, a fact that he constantly taunts me with. In fact, he actually predicted that I would not be married by the time he sees me again."

"Do you plan on proving him wrong?" Mina asked, batting her eyelids and blushing slightly.

"I…" Chronos paused, thinking over that question. "Come to think of it, I believe that was my subconscious reasoning for joining the Pioneer Project. It gives me plenty of time. Ha, ha! Thank you, Mina! You've certainly made my day!"

"What, you're serious?" she yelped, turning red. "Why, Chronos, I…I don't know what to say. I mean, we just started dating today and…"

"Oh, don't worry," Chronos smiled, now that he had _her_ blushing. "I wasn't implying a proposal. It's only that you've given me encouragement. I don't know why, but just having a two-budded goal is so energizing. One part flowers into finally getting back at old Kratos, while the other blooms into love for a wife."

"That's really sweet," Mina smiled. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a way of flirting without trying?"

"Actually, only one other person has said that to me," Chronos murmured. "Frankly, I never notice what is so flirtatious about my observations and compliments."

"Oh yeah, then compliment me," Mina challenged him, smirking. "Or just make an observation about me…"

"Fair enough," he said, not seeing the harm. "You're a petite young lady with a somewhat rare eye color and a pleasant presence that is always welcome. Now, what was so flirtatious about that?"

"I guess you just can't realize the effect of your own words," she smiled.

* * *

Yami Megami was making quick work of the mutants of the caves. It had only taken a couple of hours to get to Caves 3. There was only one last room to secure. She had made sure to place traps in key passageways as she was told. The monsters were proving to be more of an annoyance than an actual threat to her. After she killed one wave, another wave of stronger monsters appeared. But not even they were enough to prove a challenge.

Yami entered the final room that was to be secured. Out of all the rooms she had been through, this one seemed the most developed in Caves 3. Only a few rooms ago, there had been a sign that warned of high-voltage. She could plainly see a large machine, which took up most of the room and was producing quite a bit of electrical discharge in the air high above. The room seemed to have a faint mist flowing through it, probably to amplify the electrical current in the air.

She readied her scythe as the teleportation noise echoed through the room. Half a dozen brownish-yellow Guil Sharks appeared on one side of the room, while an equal number of crimson Pal Sharks appeared on the other side of the room. They hissed at once and began to approach her.

Yami crouched low, holding out her scythe to the side. At the right moment, she lunged forward and sliced a wide arc through the sharks' ranks, beheading several of them. Then, with a flip, she jumped into the middle of their bunch. Before they could turn to strike her, she spun in a circle, decapitating the sharks that were too close. There was only one of each type of shark left. The Guil Shark was in front of her and the Pal Shark was behind her. She impaled the Pal Shark with the sharp point of her hilt and, in another spin, slammed its body into the Guil Shark. The larger one was knocked over, while the miserable Pal Shark remained on the hilt. Yami slammed it into the Guil Shark to daze them and stabbed it with the sharp point. Stamping her foot into the Pal Shark's face, she removed the weapon, leaving the lifeless sharks on top one another.

Next, a pair of Nano Dragons flew out of the darkness above. She leapt high into the air and cut one down with her scythe. The one that landed took aim and fired energy torpedoes. She nimbly dodged them and jumped once more. The dragon spread its wings in preparation, but was impaled through the top of its head by the point of her hilt. As its body went limp, she pulled the point out and lopped off its head in one spin of her scythe.

She looked around and relaxed once there was no sign of any more monsters. She found a spot on the ground that was not soaked with mutant blood and sat down. As she began to clean her weapon, she spoke into her ISL. "This is Yami. All designated sectors in Caves 1, 2, and 3 have been secured as requested. Awaiting further instructions."

While she waited for a reply, she took notice of how unusually sticky the mutant blood was. All previous types of blood she had spilled, including android oil, had never been so difficult to clean off. It was enough to make her consider using techniques more often in the Caves. But that would contradict one of the main reasons she was favored by the organization. Yami was a rarity. She was a Force who actually preferred close combat to the use of techs. She was considered someone with the strength of a Hunter, yet the abilities of a Force. And unlike so many other Forces, she had never been able to use a gun before. If someone was shooting at her, she was the sort who could dodge enough bullets to quickly kill the person shooting at her. _"Such abilities being put to so little use,"_ she mused. Ever since she had joined the Pioneer Project, her assignments seemed so petty. Back when she worked on Dezoris, her missions were much more exciting, challenging, and respectful. She could remember having to infiltrate terrorist bases and assassinate leaders or destroy devastating weapons. Compared to missions like that, everything else seemed like unnecessary busywork. Lately though, things were becoming shadier than they had usually been. She began to wonder if her organization had anything to do with the explosion at Central Dome.

"Yami," a voice came onto her ISL. "Your mission is complete and you are dismissed. Your work is well-appreciated."

"It certainly does not seem like it," she muttered, standing up.

* * *

Once Xi'san had gotten home, bathed, and changed into her red dress and disconnected sleeves, she had Guldo drive her to Loris's home. As the hovercar stopped at a traffic light, she glanced outside the window and saw Chronos idly standing outside the recreation area, near the park. She thought for a moment and decided it would not hurt to stop and talk for a few minutes. The car descended closer to the ground and she hopped out.

"Good afternoon, Chronos," she said.

"Oh, good afternoon, Megumi," he said, slightly startled by her sudden appearance. "I had not expected to see you today."

"Neither had I," she smiled. "I was passing by and I happened to see you standing here, looking lonely. Are you looking for a dance partner within the club again?"

"No…I mean yes…well, actually…" he stumbled.

"Alright, I'm back!" Mina called out, walking out of the ladies room. "You wouldn't believe the line in there…Hey, who is this?"

"I should like to know your identity as well," Megumi said, somewhat annoyed by the short, though slightly familiar woman's appearance. "Are you his younger sister Cleo?"

"Little sister!" Mina exclaimed. "I'm Chronos's date!" There was something familiar about this woman's condescending tone to Mina.

"Oh my," Megumi chuckled. "My apologies, young lady."

"Uh, perhaps I should introduce you two," Chronos said. "Megumi, meet Dr. Minako Chikara. Mina, this is my friend Megumi Ite."

"Ah, so you are the renowned Dr. Chikara," Megumi said, bowing slightly.

"Megumi Ite, huh?" Mina repeated, returning the small bow.

"Yes, she is also from Dezolis," Chronos said. "I met her not too long after I met you."

"What part of Dezolis are you from?" Mina asked curiously.

"Lunere, in the northern hemisphere," she answered. "I own an estate there. Why do you ask?"

"Say, Chronos," Mina said, taking his hand and swirling her finger in his palm. "Would you mind running inside and getting me something to drink. I'd go myself, but they'd just think I was an annoying little girl. They'd respect a tall person like yourself."

"Um, okay," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I won't be long." He walked into the nearby building.

"Well, that was rather rude," Megumi said, glaring at the short woman.

"It's time for you to drop the act," Mina said sternly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I had a cousin who lived in on an estate in Lunere. She was involved with criminals and attracted lots of bad attention. When she started double-crossing her associates, they made her disappear. No one's heard from her since then. Her name was Megami Ite and I know for a fact that you aren't her. You stole her identity somehow. And I won't let a shady character like you endanger Chronos."

"…Mmmha, ha, ha, ha," the tall woman laughed. "I should have figured that the oh-so-famous Dr. Chikara would be on the ball."

"So, I'm right," Mina said, cautiously taking a step back. "Then, what's your real name?"

"I'm afraid if I told you that," Xi'san chuckled, "then I'd have to kill you. My name has an awful habit of attracting police. If I were you, Doctor, I would hold my tongue. Chronos need not know of this. It is for his safety as well."

"I don't know why you're so interested in him," Mina glared, "but if you think you can threaten him behind his back…"

"Do not misunderstand me!" Xi'san seethed, getting very close to Mina's face. "I've grown quite attached to that man. In fact…you might say that I've grown to love him…And I won't let an overrated little tramp, who thinks she can impress him with her inexistent bosom, ruin that!"

"How dare you!" Mina gasped and slapped her at once. Xi'san gasped and double-slapped her, causing Mina to stumble back a bit. Mina ran at her and looked as if she was about to swing a punch. Instead, she simply kicked her in the shin.

"Ow!" Xi'san yelped. She balled a fist and swung at Mina, who caught her arm and swung her over her shoulder. Then, she got to her knees and wrapped her arm around Xi'san's neck from behind, while keeping her opponent's arm outstretched. By now, people around them had noticed the fight.

"I'm stronger than I look," Mina grunted, keeping her hold tight.

"You don't realize who you're dealing with," Xi'san choked. Using her free arm, she elbowed Mina to break her grasp. Xi'san jumped to her feet and spun in a kick behind her. Mina caught her leg and swung her to the ground. Without letting go of her leg, she turned Xi'san over onto her belly, sat on her back, and began to pull her leg to bend it as uncomfortably as possible.

"How's that?" Mina taunted.

"Ah!" Xi'san yelped as her leg was folded. She could not roll over since Mina was well grounded. Xi'san reached back to grab onto her. Mina grabbed one arm and began to pull that as well. "Ah! You wretched little…Ah!"

"Give up and tell me your name!" Mina shouted. Xi'san instead reached back once again and grabbed onto Mina's top. "Hey, cut it out!" When Mina dropped the leg to grab the arm, Xi'san quickly stood up and swung her arms forward. Mina was sent flying a short distance but rolled to her feet in a ready stance.

Xi'san ran at her and stabbed with her hands repeatedly. Mina dodged and parried the strikes, but was quickly being pushed back. Eventually, she was pushed against a tree and her hands were throbbing from blocking the unusually strong thrusts. When Xi'san threw a powerful punch, Mina jumped to the side, letting the punch cripple the tree. As the tree fell, Mina dived into Xi'san and pinned her to the ground.

"It seems…that I've underestimated you," Xi'san panted heavily.

"You wouldn't be the first," Mina panted, grabbing onto Xi'san's throat. "Now, tell me what I want to know."

"You haven't…earned that yet," Xi'san choked with a smirk, wrapping her legs tightly around Mina.

"Let…go," Mina grunted, squeezing her hold. "Or else I'll…strangle you."

"You…let go," Xi'san replied, squeezing her legs together. "Or I'll…crush you." Despite the severity of the fight, none of the bystanders dared to interfere.

"This isn't getting…us anywhere," Mina said, losing her strength. "If you let go…we can both walk away from this…and Chronos doesn't have to know anything."

"Fair enough," Xi'san said, releasing Mina. Mina had not foreseen such a trusting outcome, but she let go as well. She rolled off of Xi'san and they both lied there panting.

"You're strong," Mina said.

"As are you," Xi'san replied, sitting up. "We'll have to settle this some other time."

"What are you talking about?" Mina asked wearily.

"I haven't had a challenging bout like that in years," Xi'san smiled. "Besides, I despise stalemates." She stood up and offered a hand. Mina took it and was helped to her feet.

"Could it not be on my date next time," Mina asked. Xi'san did not answer. They walked back to the building just as Chronos exited with two cups.

"I'm sorry I took so long," he apologized. "The line was so long, they ran out of everything except water. I bought one for each of you."

"How thoughtful of you," Xi'san said, graciously taking her cup and drinking.

"Thank you, Chronos," Mina said, doing the same. She then noticed that Chronos's face was completely red and he was averting his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

Xi'san looked at her and chuckled lightly. "Doctor, I believe your areola is showing." Mina's face turned red as well as she instantly covered herself and tried to readjust her top. "Perhaps I shall see you both some other time. Oh, and Chronos?"

"Yes, Megumi?" Chronos said, still averting his eyes.

"Realize that Minako and I are officially rivals for your affection," Xi'san smirked. She walked away without looking back.

"Somehow, I saw that coming," Chronos sighed. "I hope you two aren't going to fight."

"There's nothing wrong with a little competition," Mina shrugged. "Anyway, with my…wardrobe malfunction, I think we should just end the date here."

"Uh, yes," Chronos agreed.

Mina gave him a hug, much to his surprise. "You got a little peek at me, so try not to think naughty thoughts _too_ often."

"You're enjoying my suffering, aren't you?" Chronos smiled.

* * *

Xi'san finally arrived at her sister's home. Once again, Guldo stayed outside while Xi'san entered. She sat beside Loris, who was waiting for her.

Rose noticed that Xi'san's hair and clothing was a bit messy. "Did you get into a fight?"

"Yes," she replied casually. "It was an enjoyable little scuffle with my new rival for Chronos's affection."

"Humans," Rose muttered, walking away.

"Alright, now what is it that you need to tell me?" she asked her quiet sister.

"Slyphe?" Loris asked.

"I assure you, it's safe to speak," he answered.

"Xi'san…" Loris frowned. "I…I don't want to do this anymore."

"Do what?"

"I don't want to work for Black Paper any longer," Loris nearly whimpered. "Nothing good can come of this sort of activity. Furthermore, I don't like its methods. I draw the line at slavery, be they androids, newmans, or humans. It tried to convince me to buy several to use in either _my_ business or _my_ home."

"Do you not already possess slaves?" Xi'san asked. "What about Rose, Slyphe, and Rupika?"

"They certainly are not!" Loris shouted angrily. "I could never consider Rose my servant, let alone my slave. She has been like a mother to me. I began paying her from the very day Mother and Father supposedly "gave" her to me as a present. I also paid Slyphe from the very day Black Paper assigned him to me."

"And Rupika?" Xi'san asked.

"Her safety requires her to never leave this house unescorted," Loris answered. "She volunteers to assist Rose. There is little more I can do for her at this point in time…Sister," she said, touching Xi'san's face. "I simply cannot bear to comply with that wretched association. At the same time, I know that they will kill me if I leave. I am neither as strong nor brave as you. I know that you don't seem to mind having unpaid servants, but I do hate such a thing. I want to run _my_ business _my_ way. I don't want to be harassed by unsavory characters that want to sell illegal goods to me. And I don't want to be a part of this dirty organization. So, will you please help me…big sister?"

"Of course," Xi'san smiled, squeezing her hand. "Whenever I needed support, you were always there. When I was new to the family, you were the one who welcomed me without thinking twice. Through every heartache in my life, you were there, so why shouldn't I help you?"

"Then, what should I do?" Loris asked, looking helpless.

"Simply express your wish to leave the organization," Xi'san answered.

"They will send people to kill her," Slyphe warned. "Neither she, nor her employees will be safe. I can only do so much. Perhaps it would be wise to reconsider."

"No," Xi'san said. "If necessary, I will see to her safety."

_Notes:_ For once, I don't really have anything to say…

_On the next slightly short episode of Sidestory:_ It's Bring Your Mother to School Day at Nei School and Misha's mother Starr is there to present herself. Some of what she says starts another little conflict in Misha's maturing life. Meanwhile, Xi'san meets up with Chronos by accident and gets a little private time with him and much blushing ensues. This one's shorter than usual in "Expressions." Just a little one-on-one time…Only Toonami!


	25. Expressions

**Chapter XXV: Expressions**

(I think we're about due for another _disclaimer_: I do not own the PSO setting, trademarks, or NPCs. I just develop them more than Sega bothered to. And most of the characters in this story are of my creation, except Isis, who is from Pioneer Alley.)

Isis stood in front of the class, now that Galactica's mother had finished her impressive presentation. There were several more people than usual, because it was a special day. "Very good. _Bring…Mother to School Day_ is off to a good start."

"Who would like to go next?" Galactica asked. "Just follow my mother's example."

Misha's mother giddily raised her hand and called out, "Ooh, ooh! I do! I do!" Pick me! Pick me!" She wore a dark grey schoolgirl dress over a sky blue blouse with a white collar and miniature red tie. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with a burgundy ribbon.

"Oh boy," Misha muttered.

"Alright, Mrs. Kuhra," Galactica said, never seeing an adult act like this before. "Just settle down first."

"Oh, sorry!" she said, hopping from her seat. She dashed clumsily to the front of the class, accidentally knocking Misha out of her seat in the process. "Okay, hi everybody. My name's Starr Kuhra, Misha's mom. I'm 13 years old, about 5 feet and 7 inches, um…135 pounds, um…my blood type is…uh…AB…I think."

Galactica looked uncomfortable and said, "Perhaps you would like to tell us about your career, hobbies, or give the students some of your…er, wisdom?"

"Oh, okay," Starr complied. "Let's see…Right now, I'm a Ranger in the Hunters Guild and I'm supposed to be the only Newman Ranger on the entire ship and I'm called a RAnewearl, but I used to be a police officer on Motavia, but me and my partner got fired for um…what did they call it…something about being gross and incompo-something, but I don't remember doing anything gross at all…unless it was that time I ate all those powdered donuts and got sick…"

"Why am I here again?" Cloud whispered to Taya.

"Because today's _Bring Your Mother to School Day_," she whispered back.

"I'm not even your legal guardian," he complained. "Isn't Xero supposed to be here for this?"

"Wenji said he'd be here tomorrow for _Bring Your Father to School Day_," she replied. "He said you're the closest person to being my mother." Cloud began to grumble to himself about Xero attacking his masculinity.

Meanwhile, Starr continued to ramble mindlessly. "…and then there was that time I crashed the entire network at the office after I spilled coffee on my computer, or that time me and Junko got caught kissing…"

"Um, that'll do," Galactica said, feeling very uncomfortable by now.

Misha snapped out of her daydreaming when she heard that last part and wondered, _"Who's Junko?"

* * *

_

Yami had been sent back to the Caves to maintain security. It was inevitable that more monsters would appear over time. She was somewhat disgusted that they had sent her on such an errand. This was all to be in preparation for the exploration of the newly discovered Mines. A transporter had finally been successfully launched and it was expected to be in quite a bit of use for a while. Until the flow of adventurous hunters slowed a bit, she would be stuck with this job for a while.

It did not help her mood that she was in Caves 1, which was filled with fire and lava. She entered the designated area and decided to stop. She leaned on her scythe, pulled her hat off, and began to fan herself. It had been long apparent that Force clothing was not made for such hot conditions. The moment she closed her eyes to relax, the teleporting sound went off and she found herself surrounded by Evil Sharks. She sighed and raised her scythe. Before she could swing, a chain of electricity fried the sharks all around her. She turned around and looked toward the door. Chronos was standing there with his hand outstretched from casting the technique.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping forward. "I hope I wasn't too late."

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine," she smiled, unconsciously returning to fanning herself with her hat. "I appreciate your assistance."

"Megumi?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. "Is that you?"

"…Um, yes," she said, hesitating. "For now though, call me Yami. What are you doing down here?"

"Nothing in particular," he shrugged. "Just treasure-hunting, I suppose."

"Quite a place to choose," she huffed, fanning herself faster and leaning on her scythe. "Perhaps you would like to come with me to a more pleasant area?"

"I certainly wouldn't mind," he said, releasing a small cloud of cool air around her.

* * *

As Misha and her mother rode home in the hovercar, the only sound was that of blaringly loud J-pop. The thought of Junko was the only thing on Misha's mind, while her mother mentally went through her driving training. Finally, Misha turned off the music. Her mother didn't seem to notice, focusing on the traffic.

"Mommy," she said quietly.

"Mmhmm?" her mother replied.

"Who's Junko?"

"We were partners on the force, back when we were police," Starr answered. "I think I said that in class…or did I?" As her mind drifted into thought, she had to suddenly swerve to stay in the lane. "Sorry about that! Um, anyway…we've been dating for a while."

"Dating!" Misha exclaimed. "What about Daddy?"

"Oh," Starr said, realizing what the problem was. "I'm sorry, Misha…but it doesn't seem like we're going to see Daddy again."

"So you're replacing him!" Misha asked.

"Well, yes…I mean no! No!" her mother panicked. "Uh, what I'm trying to say is I loved your father and no one can replace him."

"Except Junko."

"That's right, except Junko," her mother nodded approvingly. "…No, wait! That's not right! Absolutely no one can replace your father…but you'll like Junko. We've been best friends forever…We're just taking the next step." She glanced and saw an unhappy face on her daughter. "This is exactly what Junko said would happen. Maybe you two should meet. Besides, I'm sure Junko will be a much better person for _Bring Your Father to School Day_ than your sister Daniela."

"Please tell me you did not just say Daniela was supposed to come in for me that day," Misha muttered.

"I didn't have a better idea at the time," Starr blushed. "And she doesn't have to know about it anymore, okay?"

After a few moments, Misha noticed that they were not going home. Instead, they stopped at a tall office building. "Mommy, where are we?"

"You're going to see a therapist," she said quietly and nervously. "Daniela said it would be a good idea, since you were so upset when you and Taya weren't talking."

"Oh, come on! Even if I did need a therapist, everything's fine now."

"But it's still a good idea to talk to a professional," her mother said cheerfully. "Besides, I already paid for the appointment."

* * *

Yami and Chronos walked quietly through the Caves 2, enjoying the serene surroundings and the ghostly jellyfish that disappeared into the walls.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, staring at the semi-reflective walls.

"Very much so," she said, watching their reflection in the water. "Discounting the numerous hazards of the area, I find this place to be the most pleasant on Ragol so far. It's very…romantic."

"Uh…yes," Chronos said, reddening again.

Yami giggled and entwined her arm with his. "You're so bashful…I find it rather charming." They walked along until her ISL beeped.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "Is there a trap?"

She looked at her ISL and frowned. She quickly typed a message into it and looked up at him. "Nothing more than spam."

"Here?"

"You know how annoying bored hunters can be," she said.

"Ah." They entered the next room, which was large, bright and contained several tall trees. There were several deep pools of water. Their quiet moment was disrupted by the appearance of a Grass Assassin.

"Allow me," Yami said, halting him. She extended her scythe underneath the creature blade-first and cut its belly open upon retracting it. With a mighty sweep of her blade, she knocked the entire beast into the water, letting it sink into the depths. "How was I?" she asked, turning back to Chronos in mid-stance.

"Brava," he clapped. "You're rather strong." When a flurry of teleporting photons appeared next to her she instantly sliced through them. When sharks appeared in their place, their upper halves slid off. "And quite fast."

"Thank you," she bowed. "I've been trained to act on my feet. There is almost nothing that I cannot handle."

"Oh, really?" he said, feeling unusually mischievous. "What about that Poison Lily over there?"

"What?" she said, turning around instantly. He gave her a gentle shove from behind with his blue Pole. She attempted to turn around as soon as the Pole touched her, but ended up stumbling into one of the ponds with a splash.

"Ha, ha, I'm sorry," he chuckled. "I couldn't resist."

She resurfaced and began to thrash and splash about in a panicked fashion. "Help! I can't swim!"

"Oh, that's a good one!" he laughed. "Even someone who couldn't swim would be able to reach a ledge two feet away."

"I'm not joking!" she screamed, beginning to be overtaken by the surface. "I…can't…swim!"

"Alright, that's enough," he chuckled. "Here, I'll help you." He outreached his Pole to her. At this point, she was too far under to reach it, despite her continued struggling. He became concerned when she did not resurface for seconds that seemed to be moving by too quickly. "Megumi?" There was no answer, except for the bubbles rising to the surface. Without another thought, he jumped into the water and swam downward. It was dark underwater, but there was just enough light to see her slowing form. He grabbed onto her and pulled her to the surface. He pushed her onto the ledge and got out himself. She coughed and hacked and finally lay on her back, panting.

"Megumi, I'm so sorry!" he said, kneeling beside her. "If I had known that you couldn't swim…"

She grabbed his collar, silencing him, and sat up to stare him in the eye. Then, she kissed him on each cheek and embraced him. "Thank you."

"But Megumi," he argued. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have…"

She placed a finger on his lips and smiled gently. "It was all in good fun. Besides, how were you to know I couldn't swim?"

"You're taking this awfully well after nearly drowning," he frowned.

"My dear, there's something strangely…stimulating about having your life saved by the one you love…even if he was the person who put you in danger."

"I still feel the need to apologize," he said guiltily.

She smiled placidly. "So full of humility. If you feel such a strong need to apologize, would you do so by holding me?"

"I…suppose," he blushed, carefully wrapping his arms around her.

"I love it when you blush," she sighed, burying her head into his chest and closing her eyes.

"That's nearly the same thing Mina said," he spoke.

"We obviously have similar interests," she said serenely. There was a moment of silence as they sat together. Chronos was actually enjoying their quiet moment and stroked her hair gently. He was quite impressed with the consistency of the redness that started near the tips of her otherwise jet-black hair. It had been quite some time since he was last with a woman in this manner. The added thought of the look on his brother's face if he were to see Chronos brought a smile to his face.

Suddenly, their peace was disrupted by the panicked cry of a female's voice on Yami's ISL. "Mistress Xi'san! If you're down here, please respond! Lady Loris is in trouble!" Yami snapped her eyes open, broke away from Chronos, and tapped her ISL.

"I'm here, Fina!" she said urgently, getting up. "What happened?" Chronos rose up, listening in.

"You must come quickly to Regalia!" the android yelled. "Lady Loris has been kidnapped!"

"Regalia?" Chronos said. "Isn't that the Dezolan-owned brothel? And who is Loris?"

Yami set a Telepipe and stepped inside. "She's my sister. I have to go now." She disappeared before Chronos could say anything more.

"And why did she call you _Xi'san_?" he asked aloud. That name had carried a very bad reputation on Dezoris. That worried him a bit, but he decided to not think about it too much, hoping it was a harmless nickname.

* * *

Misha sat on the couch, pouting in the quiet therapist's room. The burgundy room looked like a cross between an office and a miniature library. There were shelves of books and CDs on two of the four walls. All of the corners were concealed with decorative items like plants, small statues, or even a lamp. Behind the therapist's desk and chair was a large curtained window that simulated sunlight and a quiet suburban town outside. The therapist himself, Dr. Par, sat in his large chair, taking notes.

"So, Misha," he began, adjusting his glasses. "Do you know why your family brought you here?"

"Because I got a little upset over not seeing my best friend for a while," she frowned.

"Is that what you think?" he asked. "Or is that sarcasm I'm hearing?"

"Alright, what am I here for?" she asked, getting annoyed.

"You're here because your family is a bit concerned about your mental health."

"So, they think I'm crazy."

"No, not at all," he said a little too calmly for her liking. "You said you were upset over not seeing your friend for a while. How long was it?"

"At least a week," she answered.

"With absolutely no contact?"

"Well, we saw each other at school," Misha admitted, "but she wouldn't talk to me."

"You certainly seem to be doing better now."

"That's because we're together again," Misha said proudly. "She came over to my house and we made up. Simple as that."

"What was the issue?" he asked. Misha remained silent and made it obvious that she did not plan to answer that. "I see. So, it's a secret."

"Something wrong with that?" Misha asked irritably.

"Of course not," he smiled. "It's not unusual at all for close friends to keep secrets amongst themselves. Would you mind telling me a little about your friend?"

"There's not much to say," Misha said flatly.

"Just tell me as much as you want to," he said, scribbling into his pad. "You could start with a name and what this person is like."

"Her name's Taya," Misha answered. "She's a newearl about my age, but shorter with cerulean hair and eyes. She's the nicest person I know and my best friend. We visit each other everyday. We've known each other since…almost before I can remember."

"I see," the therapist said, writing down a few more notes. "I would think it would take quite an effort on her part to avoid you. Tell me, was there a boy involved in this?"

"How did you know?" Misha asked, somewhat baffled.

"Many friendships are disrupted when a member of the opposite sex comes along," he explained. "It happens to boys and girls, men and women. So, do you know this boy?"

"Yeah, his name's Van," Misha sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Is there any friction between you two?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong," said Misha, brightening her tone. "Van's an okay guy. It's just that…the guy is so…so…boring. He's pretty quiet most of the time. He'll _occasionally_ make a lame joke, but most of the time he's just his friend Jared's shadow. And I _hate_ Jared. He's annoying, stupid, keeps calling me _Kitty_, and can't get it through his thick head that I don't like his dumb ass! Van's way better by comparison, but he's still pretty lame. I don't even know what Taya sees in him besides shyness…But I guess that's just her being the nice person that she is…Like when he first asked her, she didn't even hesitate to say yes…I don't know whether she actually likes him or she's just being nice…" She seemed saddened by that ambiguity.

"Interesting," he said, scribbling some more. "Have you met anyone you're interested in?"

"…No," Misha said, raising an eyebrow.

"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" he asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Misha smiled for the first time in the office. "Me and Taya, world-famous hunters and best friends forever! Oh, and both of us with kids that know each other just as much as we know each other. It'll be great!"

"My, my, aren't we aspiring?" he said approvingly. "Any idea what kind of husbands you'll have?"

Misha seemed unprepared for that question. "Uh…no clue. I _guess_ I could see Taya with Van, but…"

"What about you and Jared?" the therapist smiled jokingly.

"I can see a murder-suicide," Misha replied in a similar tone.

"I'm happy that you opened up to me as much as you did," he chuckled. "The more a patient tells me, the more I am able to help them. Since our time is about up for today, I'll send my full diagnosis, from what I've gathered so far, to your mother. What I can tell you is that you are simply experiencing a change of pace. Change is a part of growing up. A little acceptance and adjustment will suit you well. You've already started in the right direction by making amends with Taya. Just be mindful of the issue that you've decided not to share, as well as the possibility that Taya may need to spend some time with Van as well as you."

"Okay," Misha nodded, satisfied with his advice. "Thanks." She left the building and found her mother talking on an audio-only phone.

"Oh, don't worry so much Juny," Starr giggled. "She'll be fine with it…" Then, Misha caught her attention. "In fact, she's right here…What? What does 'antagonize' mean…? Really? Okay, fine. But I still can't wait to introduce you tomorrow. Love ya!" she said, clicking off the phone.

"Was that Junko?" Misha asked.

"Yep," Starr nodded. "So, how was the doctor?"

"He was okay," Misha said. "He said he'd send you the diagnosis."

"Good," her mother said. "Oh yeah, and Taya called earlier. She said she would meet you at Serenity's house."

"It's nice that everything's finally back to normal," Misha said, lounging into the car seat.

_Notes:_ Well isn't she in for a nasty surprise… But let's do one thing at a time, shall we?

_On the next focused episode of Sidestory:_ Loris has been kidnapped, along with several of her employees. Looks like the organization wasn't happy with her decision and plans to make use of her. It's up to Xi'san to rescue her sister. The ugliness of the underworld is revealed in "Risky Business." Every business decision has a risk…**_Only Toonami!_**


End file.
